The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) has a long, forked tail. The bird is 13 inches long from beak to tip of tail. Typical of flycatchers, it feeds on insects, making it a very valuable bird when it comes to controlling insect pests. Insects consumed include moths, butterflies, grasshoppers, locusts, beetles, and cotton worms.
Its breeding range includes the southcentral United States, eastern Colorado and Nebraska, south to Texas. This is the State Bird of Oklahoma. It can also be found in southern Kansas and occasionally in southwestern Missouri, western Arkansas and Illinois. It winters in Central America. Breeding season is from March to October. Some birds remain in the Galveston area year round.
This flycatcher prefers open country and woodland edges. It is a restless bird, spending its days flitting about in pursuit of insect prey.
The bulky nest is built on the limb of a tree from available materials. The clutch size is from 3 to 5 white eggs blotched with brown. The incubation period is 14 days and the young fledge in two weeks. Two broods are sometimes raised.
