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406:, 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). Immature birds are duller in color and have shorter tails. A lot of these birds have been reported to be more than 40 cm (16 in).
527:
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394:, there is a hybrid breeding zone where the scissor-tailed flycatcher and the western kingbird are sympatric and possibly compete for the same niche. Both these species have simultaneously expanded their breeding ranges eastward over the past 50 years.
418:
near towns. The male performs a spectacular aerial display during courtship with his long tail forks streaming out behind him. Both parents feed the young. Like other kingbirds, they are very aggressive in defending their
920:
Worm, J.R.; Roeder, D.V.; Husak, M.S.; Fluker, B.L.; Boves, T.J. (2019). "Characterizing patterns of introgressive hybridization between two species of
Tyrannus following concurrent range expansion".
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features a scissor-tailed flycatcher on their crest. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is also displayed in the background of the current license plate.
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Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis
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A high resolution version of the phylogenetic tree in Figure 1 is available from the first author's website
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meaning "a pair of scissors". Gmelin based his description on "Le moucherolle Ă queue fourchue du
Mexique" (
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and northeastern Mexico. Reported sightings record occasional stray visitors as far north as southern
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Adult birds have pale gray heads and upper parts, light underparts, salmon-pink flanks and undertail
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Their breeding habitat is open shrubby country with scattered trees in the south-central states of
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716:(in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae : Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 931.
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through Texas and eastern Mexico to their winter non-breeding range, from southern Mexico to
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They build a cup nest in isolated trees or shrubs, sometimes using artificial sites such as
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662:
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Harvey, M.G.; et al. (2020). "The evolution of a tropical biodiversity hotspot".
353:. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is now one of 13 species placed in the kingbird genus
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733:. Vol. 8. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 225.
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swallow-tailed flycatcher") that had been described in 1778 by the French polymath
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from a specimen from Mexico and illustrated with a hand-coloured engraving by
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782:(in French). Vol. 4. Paris: De l'Imprimerie Royale. pp. 564–565.
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Birds of
Oklahoma: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Oklahoma's State Bird
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A scissor-tailed flycatcher named MC Sizzy is featured in the 2015
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In the summer, scissor-tailed flycatchers feed mainly on insects (
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The bird is featured on the box of the popular 2019 board game
378:, the scissor-tailed flycatcher is most closely related to the
451:). For additional food in the winter they will also eat some
816:. Vol. 7. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 677.
1128:
1459:Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States)
966:
686:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22700500A137915793.en
1100:at Neotropical Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
951:. Ottawa: National Museum of Canada. p. 250.
530:Scissor-tailed flycatcher atop a fire hydrant in
272:, whose members are collectively referred to as
1050:- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
1296:scissor-tailed-flycatcher-tyrannus-forficatus
8:
776:"Le moucherolle Ă queue fourchue du Mexique"
747:The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names
310:. He placed it with the flycatchers in the
1116:
1037:
810:"Gobe-mouche Ă queue fourchue, du Mexique"
195:
48:
29:
20:
1098:Scissor-tailed flycatcher species account
899:
750:. London: Christopher Helm. p. 162.
684:
814:Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle
1072:Scissor-tailed flycatcher photo gallery
653:
581:
300:in his revised and expanded edition of
856:
1484:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin
845:. International Ornithologists' Union
825:
823:
537:The scissor-tailed flycatcher is the
7:
1449:IUCN Red List least concern species
727:Traylor, Melvin A. Jr, ed. (1979).
672:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
292:The scissor-tailed flycatcher was
14:
1079:"Scissor-tailed flycatcher media"
591:Scissor-tailed flycatcher at the
296:in 1789 by the German naturalist
843:IOC World Bird List Version 13.1
794:Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de
772:Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de
730:Check-List of Birds of the World
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423:. Clutches contain three to six
284:, and is Oklahoma's State Bird.
73:
1464:Birds of the Rio Grande valleys
661:BirdLife International (2021).
359:that was introduced in 1799 by
326:. The specific epithet is from
780:Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux
547:Oklahoma Commemorative Quarter
1:
1094:(with link to image gallery)
1074:at VIREO (Drexel University)
1045:Scissor-tailed flycatcher -
999:"Scissor-tailed Flycatcher"
973:. New York: Knopf. p.
806:Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie
361:Bernard Germain de Lacépède
1500:
1007:Cornell Lab of Ornithology
798:Martinet, François-Nicolas
744:Jobling, James A. (2010).
24:Scissor-tailed flycatcher
1283:scissor-tailed-flycatcher
1104:Interactive range map of
969:The Sibley Guide to Birds
947:Godfrey, W. Earl (1966).
679:: e.T22700500A137915793.
552:Professional soccer team
351:François-Nicolas Martinet
255:swallow-tailed flycatcher
245:scissor-tailed flycatcher
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70:Scientific classification
68:
46:
37:
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1084:Internet Bird Collection
708:Gmelin, Johann Friedrich
568:National Geographic Kids
459:Distribution and habitat
1479:Birds described in 1789
892:10.1126/science.aaz6970
837:, eds. (January 2023).
614:At the National Aviary
298:Johann Friedrich Gmelin
626:At the National Aviary
534:
475:, western portions of
802:Daubenton, Edme-Louis
529:
1027:Tyrannus forficatus
863:: CS1 maint: year (
839:"Tyrant flycatchers"
483:west to far eastern
1474:Symbols of Oklahoma
1426:Tyrannus-forficatus
1185:Tyrannus_forficatus
1160:Tyrannus forficatus
1130:Tyrannus forficatus
1106:Tyrannus forficatus
1047:Tyrannus forficatus
963:Sibley, David Allen
949:The Birds of Canada
886:(6522): 1343–1348.
665:Tyrannus forficatus
572:50 Birds, 50 States
384:Tyrannus verticalis
324:Muscicapa forficata
261:, is a long-tailed
250:Tyrannus forficatus
235:Muscivora forficata
179:Tyrannus forficatus
40:Conservation status
1111:IUCN Red List maps
1068:at bird-stamps.org
833:; Donsker, David;
535:
294:formally described
161:T. forficatus
1436:
1435:
1395:Open Tree of Life
1122:Taxon identifiers
934:10.1111/ibi.12674
835:Rasmussen, Pamela
757:978-1-4081-2501-4
498:, as far east as
374:Within the genus
371:are recognised.
363:. The species is
241:
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220: Nonbreeding
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1454:Tyrannus (genus)
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441:robber-flies
437:grasshoppers
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390:and western
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265:bird of the
259:scissorstail
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253:), known as
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1382:Neotropical
1356:NatureServe
1304:iNaturalist
1154:Wikispecies
1058:El Salvador
831:Gill, Frank
692:11 November
508:West Indies
445:dragonflies
398:Description
1443:Categories
1421:Xeno-canto
648:References
597:Pittsburgh
539:state bird
522:In culture
485:New Mexico
369:subspecies
187:Gmelin, JF
137:Tyrannidae
1062:Nicaragua
477:Louisiana
392:Tennessee
365:monotypic
316:Muscicapa
274:kingbirds
155:Species:
93:Kingdom:
87:Eukaryota
1361:2.100078
1348:22700500
1322:10722264
1211:22700500
1206:BirdLife
1145:Q1189983
1139:Wikidata
965:(2000).
859:cite web
849:20 March
774:(1778).
710:(1789).
642:, Mexico
570:TV show
561:Wingspan
554:FC Tulsa
543:Oklahoma
496:New York
481:Missouri
469:Oklahoma
410:Breeding
388:Arkansas
376:Tyrannus
356:Tyrannus
335:forficis
288:Taxonomy
270:Tyrannus
227:Synonyms
148:Tyrannus
133:Family:
107:Chordata
103:Phylum:
97:Animalia
83:Domain:
60:IUCN 3.1
1273:5229687
1193:Avibase
1033:Avibase
880:Science
640:Tampico
578:Gallery
512:migrate
510:. They
504:Georgia
500:Florida
493:Upstate
453:berries
449:hawking
404:coverts
343:Mexican
341:: "the
189:, 1789)
143:Genus:
123:Order:
113:Class:
58: (
1413:422623
1400:618377
1387:sctfly
1374:372374
1335:178293
1280:GNAB:
1260:sctfly
1234:sctfly
1173:sctafl
1054:Stamps
981:
754:
516:Panama
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