By Alesha Williams
Geographic Range
Breeds in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and southern Nebraska, and occasionally eastern to western Louisiana and southwestern Missouri; migrates to and winters in Central America. The birds' wintering grounds can be anywhere within south Mexico through central Costa Rica and rarely into Panama as well as the southern tip of Florida.
(Peterson, 1963; Rand, 1971; Regosin, 1998)
Habitat
(3280 to 7544 ft; avg. 4920 ft)
BREEDING HABITAT:
Breeds mainly in savannas that contain a few trees, shrubs and or brushes. But may also be found in agricultural and urban areas as well as pastures in their breeding time.
SPRING & FALL MIGRATION:
Sits on fence posts or bushes in open country of Texas and Oklahoma; prefers open grassland and areas with scattered trees.
WINTER MIGRATION:
Present in savannas, pastures, agricultural lands, urban areas and at the periphery of tropical forests.
(Regosin, 1998; Rand, 1971)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
temperate 
; terrestrial .
Other:
urban ; suburban ; agricultural .
Physical Description
(1.27 to 1.51 oz; avg. 1.39 oz)
(6.26 to 8.86 in; avg. 7.56 in)
(4.37 to 4.92 in; avg. 4.65 in)
Scissor-tailed flycatchers are slender, pale gray and black, with contrasting white tails and pink flanks; red patches are present just under the wings at the shoulders. The common name refers to the long rectrices that have a gap between them giving the appearance of scissors. Females are usually shorter than males and have shorter tails.
(Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, no date; Peterson, 1963; Rand, 1971)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
April to August
These birds are socially monogamous. (Regosin, 1998)
Mating systems:
monogamous .
As soon as birds arrive back on their breeding grounds in the United States, breeding pairs are formed. The female primarily builds the nest but the male may help in shaping the nest with his bill and or feet. There can be four to five eggs per clutch in a nest and up to two broods are produced per season. Nests are usually built in small trees or shrubs. The eggs are incubated for 12-14 days and the hatchlings require another 14 days before they can leave the nest. (Rand, 1971; Sutton, 1977)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (external ); oviparous .
The male assists in feeding the young. The young are altricial and are born naked except for some white down. (Regosin, 1998)
Parental investment:
altricial ; male parental care ; female parental care .
Behavior
They will occasionally walk, hop, or climb on the ground or on tree branches. In order for them to fly, they make rapid wing-beats with their long tail folded behind them. They will preen, head-scratch, stretch, bathe, sleep, roost, and sunbathe when it is appropriate for them to do so.
They aggressively defend their territories against intrusions by conspecifics.
(Regosin, 1998)
Key behaviors:
flies; motile ; migratory ; territorial ; social .
Food Habits
Scissor-tailed flycatchers forage at heights ranging from the ground to 10 meters. They capture their prey by aerial hawking or gleaning during prey-specific flight forays. (Regosin, 1998)
They eat mostly grasshoppers and beetles but have been known to eat bees, wasps, spiders, crickets, some fruits and berries as well. (Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, no date)
Primary Diet:
carnivore (insectivore ).
Animal Foods:
insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods.
Plant Foods:
fruit.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Their diet can consist largely of agricultural pests and therefore they are helpers in keeping the ecosystems around crops in better order. The long tail feathers have been used make peyote fans. Otherwise, the human utility of the bird is limited to the beauty of the bird witnessed in their skydances.
(Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, no date)
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
controls pest population.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Least Concern.
US Migratory Bird Act: [link]:
Protected.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
State of Michigan List: [link]:
No special status.
There is currently no conservation effort focused on this bird. Like other avian species, as long as it has adequate habitat - grasslands, open area, and agricultural lands - there is a chance it can survive with humans.
Other Comments
- Adopted state bird of Oklahoma in May 26, 1951 (Sutton, 1977).
- Previously known as Muscivora forficata (Rand, 1971; Peterson 1963).
Contributors
Alesha Williams (author), University of Arizona.
Jay Taylor (editor), University of Arizona.
