The
striking scissor-tailed flycatcher is our only regular “long-tailed kingbird.”
But it is not only elegant and attractive, but also common and easy to
observe. The splendid scissor-tailed
flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), also recognized as the Texas bird-of-paradise
and swallow-tailed flycatcher, is a long-tailed bird of the genus Tyrannus,
whose members are collectively referred to as kingbirds. Well, the kingbirds
are a group of large insectivorous (means insect-eating) birds in the tyrant
flycatcher (Tyrannidae) family. The scissor-tailed flycatcher can be found in
North and Central America. This bird was also famous with its former Latin name
“Muscivora forficate”. The former genus word, “Muscivora” actually derives from
the Latin word for "fly" (musca) and "to devour" (vorare),
while the species name forficata derives from the Latin word for
"scissors" (forfex). The long scissortail bird is now considered to
be a member of the Tyrannus, or "tyrant-like" genus. This genus
earned its name because quite a few of its species are exceptionally aggressive
on their breeding territories, where they will feel no hesitation to attack on
larger birds such as crows, hawks and owls.
Moreover,
adult birds have pale gray heads and their upper parts, light underparts,
salmon-pink flanks and under tail coverts, and dark gray wings. Axillars and
patch on underwing coverts are red. The bird’s species extremely long, forked
tails, which are usually black on top and white on the underside, are
characteristic and unique. At maturity, the male may be up to 15 inches in
length, though the female's tail is up to 30 percent shorter. The wingspan is
15 cm and the weight is up to 43 g. Further, Lmmature birds are duller in color
and have shorter tails, whereas a lot of these birds have been reported to be
more than 40 cm. The male and
female travel together throughout their territory in search of a nest place in
open prairie, mesquite prairie, parks, gardens, pastures, croplands, roadsides
or saltmarsh edges. When they discover a potential nest site in an isolated
tree or shrub, they both hop around and test out diverse spots by pressing
themselves against the branches. They normally select an open site that’s
sheltered from the prevailing wind and often shaded by some foliage. These birds build a cup nest in isolated trees or shrubs, sometimes
using artificial sites such as telephone poles near towns. The male bird
performs a huge aerial display during courtship with his long tail forks streaming
out behind him. Both species feed the young bird and like other kingbirds,
they’re extremely aggressive in defending their nest. Normally these birds’
clutches contain 3 to 6 eggs.
In the
summer season, scissor-tailed flycatchers feed mostly on insects i.e., grasshoppers,
robber-flies, and dragonflies, which they may catch by waiting on a perch and
then flying out to catch them in flight. If they need extra food in the winter
season, they’ll also eat some berries. The bird breeding habitat normally in open
shrubby country with scattered trees in the south-central states of Texas,
Oklahoma, Kansas; western portions of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri; far
eastern New Mexico; and northeastern Mexico. It is reported sightings record
occasional stray visitors as far north as southern Canada and as far east as
Florida and Georgia. The birds migrate through Texas and eastern Mexico to
their winter non-breeding range, from southern Mexico to Panama. Moreover, pre-migratory
roosts and flocks flying south may comprise as many as 1000 birds. The lovely
scissor-tailed flycatcher is the state bird of Oklahoma, and is displayed in
flight with tail feathers spread on the reverse of the Oklahoma Commemorative
Quarter. The Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers have the habits of having several human
products in its nest, such as string, cloth, paper, carpet fuzz, and cigarette
filters. Well, this beautiful Scissor-tailed Flycatcher numbers are a small
decline between 1966 and 2010, however, according to the North American Breeding
Bird Survey. A decline was noted in the mid-1970s, which was offset by an
increase in numbers during the 1980s. Moreover partners in Flight estimates a
global breeding population of 9.5 million with 92 % breeding in the United
States., and 50 % spending some part of the year in Mexico.
