Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savanaOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Codes: Common Name: FTFL Scientific Name: TYRSAV ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178294

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Overview

Fork-tailed Flycatcher: Medium-sized flycatcher with pale gray upperparts, black head, inconspicuous yellow crown stripe, and white underparts. Wings and spectacularly long, deeply forked tail are black. Wing linings are white. Swift flight with shallow wing beats. Feeds on insects.

Range and Habitat

Fork-tailed Flycatcher: Occurs from southern Mexico to Argentina, but strays to the eastern U.S. seaboard. Prefers savannas and pastures with trees or low bushes.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ek-ek-ek-ek-ek", "sik", "plik"

Interesting Facts

The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a rare example of a neotropical resident species that strays regularly to the northeastern United States and Canada.

Males have an extremely long forked tail, even longer than that of their cousin, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Juveniles and females have shorter tails.

This bird was first described by French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot.

A group of flycatchers has many collective nouns, including an "outfield", "swatting", "zapper", and "zipper" of flycatchers.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

● Song: "ek-ek-ek-ek-ek", "sik", "plik"

● Foraging & Feeding: Fork-tailed Flycatcher: Eats insects, berries, and fruits; forages by catching insects in air or plucking them from vegetation.

● Breeding & nesting: Fork-tailed Flycatcher: Two to three white eggs with brown and lavender spots are laid in a cup nest made of grass, plant fibers, leaves, and bark shreds lined with seed down, plant down, and hair. Incubation ranges from 14 to 17 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Fork-tailed Flycatcher: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher has gray head and salmon-pink sides, flanks, and underwings.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight with shallow wing beats and long rippling tail streamers.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Fork-tailed Flycatcher: Occurs from southern Mexico to Argentina, but strays to the eastern U.S. seaboard. Prefers savannas and pastures with trees or low bushes.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationCasual to accidental

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America