Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is one of the most visually striking songbirds in North America, instantly recognizable by its extraordinarily long, deeply forked black-and-white tail, which can account for more than half its total length. The body is pale gray above with whitish underparts washed with salmon-pink on the flanks and under the wings, and a subtle reddish patch on the crown that is rarely visible. In flight, the long tail streams behind the bird and can be opened and closed like a pair of scissors, giving the species its name.

A beloved symbol of the southern Great Plains, this species is the state bird of Oklahoma and is often seen perched prominently on fences and utility wires in open country, where it performs spectacular aerial courtship displays involving steep dives and rapid tail-snapping.

Key Field Marks

• Extremely long, deeply forked black-and-white tail, often longer than the body itself, especially in males
• Pale gray head and back with whitish underparts
• Salmon-pink to scarlet wash on the flanks, sides, and underwing linings
• Concealed reddish-orange crown patch, visible mainly during displays

Similar Species

• Fork-tailed Flycatcher, a rare vagrant from South America, has an even longer, all-black tail and a black cap contrasting with white underparts lacking the salmon wash.
• No regularly occurring North American species shares this combination of pale gray body, salmon flanks, and extremely long forked tail, making adults essentially unmistakable.
• Juveniles have shorter tails and duller salmon coloring, but retain the same general pattern.

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers breed in open grassland, savanna, ranchland, and agricultural areas of the south-central United States, with the core range centered on Texas, Oklahoma, and neighboring states, extending into parts of Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. They favor habitats with scattered trees, fences, or utility wires for perching amid open ground for foraging.

The species migrates to winter in southern Mexico and Central America, often gathering in large communal roosts of hundreds of birds during migration and on the wintering grounds.

Voice

Gives sharp, high-pitched kip and chattering calls, along with a more elaborate cackling vocalization used during courtship and territorial disputes.

Feeding

Sallies from an exposed perch such as a wire or fence post to catch flying insects, including grasshoppers and beetles, sometimes pursuing prey with agile, twisting flight enabled by its long tail; also eats some berries and fruit.

Nesting

Builds a bulky cup nest of twigs and grass in an isolated tree or shrub, often incorporating string, cloth, or other debris; performs spectacular aerial courtship displays involving steep climbs, tumbling dives, and rapid opening and closing of the tail.