|
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher |
|
tyrannus forficatus |
| Description: 14" of which more than half is a very long and deeply-forked black and white tail, adult has bright salmon-pink sides and belly, head, upper-back and breast pale grayish white | Habitat: Open and semi-open country, roadsides, chaparral, ranches. Often seen perched on utility wires or fences. |
| Nesting: 5 creamy brown-spotted eggs in a bulky stick nest lined with soft materials placed in a solitary, isolated tree | Range: breeds from eastern Colorado and Nebraska south to Texas and Louisiana, winters mostly south of border and southern Florida |
| Voice: a harsh kee-kee-kee-kee!, also chattering notes like that of Western Kingbird | Diet:
Almost entirely insects; few berries. |
| Notes: Spirited defender of territory against crows, hawks, etc. Gregarious in non-breeding season, Male performs acrobatic "sky dance" during courtship which even includes a few reverse summersaults in mid-air! |
| When present in Oklahoma: statewide during summer, south, southeast in winter months |