What is a scissor tailed flycatcher?
Scissor-tailed flycatcher. The kingbirds are a group of large insectivorous (insect-eating) birds in the tyrant flycatcher (Tyrannidae) family. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is found in North and Central America .
What kind of bird has a scissor tail?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. The scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), also known 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.
What is the state bird of Oklahoma?
The state of Oklahoma legislature adopted the scissor-tailed flycatcher as the state bird on May 26, 1951. Oklahoma does not share the scissor-tailed flycatcher as a state bird with any other state. What does the state bird of Oklahoma look like?
Where do scissor-tailed flycatchers migrate?
Scissor-tailed flycatchers are considered Neotropical migrants – birds that spend their winters in Central and South America, returning to North America to nest and raise young.
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When did the scissor-tailed flycatcher become the Oklahoma state bird?
May 26, 1951Under House Joint Resolution Number 21, signed into law on May 26, 1951, the scissor-tailed flycatcher (earlier called Muscivora forficata, now called Tyrannus forficatus) became Oklahoma's state bird.
How did Oklahoma get its state bird?
Oklahoma designated its state bird as the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in 1951 under House Joint Resolution Number 21. The scissortail was eventually chosen for its diet of harmful insects like wasps.
What is Oklahoma state bird?
Scissor-tailed flycatcherOklahoma / State birdThe scissor-tailed flycatcher, also known 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. The kingbirds are a group of large insectivorous birds in the tyrant flycatcher family. Wikipedia
What is unusual about the state bird of Oklahoma?
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Facts Protected by law, the scissor-tailed flycatcher is of great economic value; its diet consists almost entirely of non-useful and harmful insect species such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles. This songbird's unique scissor-like tail can be twice as long as its body.
What is Oklahoma State animal?
The American buffaloThe American buffalo was adopted as the state animal in 1972.
What is Oklahoma's nickname?
Sooner StateOklahoma / Nickname
What is Oklahoma known for?
Oklahoma is famous for its booming agriculture and energy industries and Native American heritage. Oklahoma is also known for college sports, country music and the iconic Route 66, which passed through the state in its heyday.
What's Oklahoma's state food?
The official state meal of Oklahoma consists of fried okra, cornbread, barbecue pork, squash, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries (state fruit), chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and black-eyed peas.
What is the Oklahoma State Wildflower?
the Indian blanketOklahoma's state wildflower, the Indian blanket, is a member of the largest family of flowering plants, the composite family, also referred to as Asteraceae (formerly Compositae). Indian blanket (common name), or Gaillardia pulchella (scientific name), is a flat, multipetaled, round flower.
Are scissor tails endangered?
Scissor-tailed flycatchers are numerous and widespread in the wild. They are not on the list of endangered species.
What is Oklahoma's motto?
Labor omnia vincitOklahoma / MottoLabor omnia vincit or Labor omnia vincit improbus is a Latin phrase meaning "Work conquers all". The phrase is adapted from Virgil's Georgics, Book I, lines 145–6: ...Labor omnia vicit / improbus. Wikipedia
What kind of bird is on the Oklahoma license plate?
scissortail flycatcherMary Fallin in 2016 unveiled the state's most recent license plate that features the outline of the state bird - a scissortail flycatcher - on a light blue background. Oklahoma motorists had to pay an additional $5 to replace their license plates.
Where do scissor tail flycatchers spend their winters?
Scissor-tailed flycatchers are considered Neotropical migrants – birds that spend their winters in Central and South America, returning to North America to nest and raise young.
How long is a scissor tail flycatcher?
Scissor-tailed flycatchers are easily identified by their long, scissor-like tail, which may reach nine inches in length. During flight, the bird opens and shuts its tail like a pair of scissors and folds or closes the “scissors” when perching. Since the bird is only 11-15 inches long, its tail is proportionately longer than any other Oklahoma bird.
What do scissor tail flycatchers eat?
Scissor-tailed flycatchers are acrobatic foragers; birds often dart from their perches into the air in pursuit of flying insects such as bees and wasps, or drop to the ground to capture grasshoppers and spiders in the grass. They consume a greater proportion of grasshoppers, crickets and other ground-dwelling insects than any other Oklahoma ...
How many eggs do songbirds lay?
She lays four to six eggs , often raising two broods during the summer. Eggs are cream-white with some spots and brown blotches.
How long do scissortails stay in their nest?
Young scissortails remain in their parents’ territory for an additional two to three weeks after leaving the nest, when they learn to hunt for food.
Why are female birds shorter than males?
Females usually are shorter than males because her tail is not as long. Immature birds resemble adults, but their tail is shorter and only slightly forked.
Where do scissortails live?
Habitat: In Oklahoma, scissortails often are seen in open prairies dotted with trees and along tree-lined country roads. They also appear in open country around ranches and even small towns, where they perch on telephone lines, flagpoles and fences. In rural areas, the birds will perch for hours along roadsides on fences, limbs and isolated trees. ...
What do scissor tail flycatchers eat?
In the summer, scissor-tailed flycatchers feed mainly on insects ( grasshoppers, robber-flies, and dragonflies ), which they may catch by waiting on a perch and then flying out to catch them in flight ( hawking ). For additional food in the winter they will also eat some berries .
What is a scissortail?
The scissortail is now considered to be a member of the Tyrannus, or 'tyrant-like' genus. This genus earned its name because several of its species are extremely aggressive on their breeding territories, where they will attack larger birds such as crows, hawks and owls .
What is a kingbird?
The kingbirds are a group of large insectivorous (insect-eating) birds in the tyrant flycatcher (Tyrannidae) family. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is found in North and Central America .
State Bird of Oklahoma
Oklahoma designated its state bird as the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in 1951 under House Joint Resolution Number 21. The scissortail was eventually chosen for its diet of harmful insects like wasps. In fact, they pretty much only eat insects.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Oklahoma designated its state bird as the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in 1951 under House Joint Resolution Number 21. The scissortail was eventually chosen for its diet of harmful insects like wasps. In fact, they pretty much only eat insects.
What is a scissor tail flycatcher?
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are slender, stout-billed kingbirds with very long, stiff, deeply forked tails. Males have longer tail feathers than females and immatures. Relative Size. Smaller and more slender overall than an American Robin, but can seem larger because of the very long tail; larger than an Eastern Phoebe. robin-sized.
Why do scissor tail flycatchers perch on fences?
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers perch conspicuously on utility lines, treetops, and fence lines to watch for insect prey and defend their territories from interlopers. They are agile in the air, spreading their long tails wide to make abrupt turns and stalls.
What is a stout billed flycatcher?
Slender, stout-billed flycatcher with a very long, deeply forked tail. Pale gray with blackish wings and tail and salmon-pink flanks and under belly. Juveniles have shorter tails than adults and are pale gray overall without the salmon wash on the flanks and under belly.
Overview
Description
Adult birds have pale gray heads and upper parts, light underparts, salmon-pink flanks and undertail coverts, and dark gray wings. Axillars and patch on underwing coverts are red. Their extremely long, forked tails, which are black on top and white on the underside, are characteristic and unmistakable. At maturity, the male may be up to 15 in (38 cm) in length, while the female's tail is up to 30% shorter. The wingspan is 15 cm (5.9 in) and the weight is up to 43 g (1.5 oz). Im…
Latin name and etymology
Its former Latin name was Muscivora forficata. The former genus name Muscivora derives from the Latin words for 'fly' (musca) and 'to devour' (vorare), while the species name forficata derives from the Latin word for 'scissors' (forfex). The scissortail is now considered to be a member of the Tyrannus, or 'tyrant-like' genus. This genus earned its name because several of its species are extremely aggressive on their breeding territories, where they will attack larger birds such as crows
Gallery
• Scissor-tailed fly catcher at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• At the National Aviary
• At the National Aviary
• Near Tampico, Mexico
External links
• "Tyrannus forficatus ". Avibase.
• Scissor-tailed flycatcher - Tyrannus forficatus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
• Stamps for El Salvador, Nicaragua, United States at bird-stamps.org
• Scissor-tailed flycatcher photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)