Oklahoma State Bird
Oklahoma state bird: Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
Oklahoma State Bird Description:
- Size: 9 to 15 inches (22 - 37 cm)
- Wingspan: 14 - 21.5 inches (34 - 53 cm)
- Weight: 1.27 to 1.98 ounces (36- 56 g)
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is a medium-sized songbird. The
upperparts and breast are pale grayish-white and the head is nearly all
white. The sides and under tail are bright salmon-pink. Its
forked tail is very long, in fact, it is longer than the body. The tail
is black and white. The legs, eyes and bill are all black.
The male and female are similar. The females are
paler, with less intense pink, and a shorter tail.
Habitat:
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher prefers open country. They can be found
perched on fence posts or utility wires along the road, ranches,
fields, parks and farms with scattered trees and shrubs.
Range:
The
breeding range is from southeastern Colorado to southern
Nebraska and central Missouri, southward to southeastern New Mexico,
Texas, and western Louisiana, into northeastern Mexico.
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher spends winters in Central
America, southern Mexico and southern Florida.
Diet:
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
captures its food on the wing. It
will also grab insects off of vegetation. It eats insects, especially
grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles.
Nesting:
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher builds its nest in small isolated trees
or large shrubs. It is a
bulky nest built with sticks and lined
with soft fibrous materials.
The clutch size is from 3 to 5 white eggs blotched with brown.
The incubation period is 14 days and the young leave the nest in about
two weeks.
A Few Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Oklahoma
State Bird:
- The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher has been known
to stray far from its normal range, and has been spotted as far
north as South Dakota.
- In late summer, the Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher will form large, premigratory flocks of up to 1,000
birds.
- The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher has been know
to use many human products for nest construction including,
cloth, paper, carpet yarn, string and even cigarette filters.
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