Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus savana
At a Glance
This spectacular wanderer from the tropics occurs virtually every year in North America. Although it is impossible to predict just where it will appear, the majority of records are along the Atlantic Coast, and there are more records in fall than in other seasons. Most Fork-tailed Flycatchers reaching our area probably come from southern South America: long-distance migrants that have made major errors in navigation.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds, Tyrant Flycatchers
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Saltwater Wetlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England
Behavior
Direct Flight, Hovering
Range & Identification
Description
10-16" (25-41 cm). Adult has long, flexible black tail streamers. Gray back contrasts with black head, dark wings. (Scissor-tailed Flycatcher has pale head, white in tail.) Young Fork-tails (and molting adults) have shorter tails, but show same pattern of head and back.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Crow
Color
Black, Gray, White
Wing Shape
Pointed
Tail Shape
Forked, Long, Notched
Songs and Calls
Buzzy chattering song; call note a sharp sick or plik.
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