THE SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 



No. 135. 



SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 



A. O. U. No. 443. Muscivora forficata (Gmel.). 



Synonyms. — Swallow-tailed Flycatcher; Scissok-tail. 



Description. — Adults: General color hoary-ash, lighter below, white on 

 throat, darkening on nape, mingling with ochraceous or rusty on back ; a con- 

 cealed scarlet or orange crown-patch ; wings fuscous to blackish, with hoary and 

 buffy-gray edgings ; first primary deeply emarginate and attenuate ; tail deeply 

 forked, the outer pairs greatly produced, — three or four times the length of 

 shortest feathers — the ordinary feathers black, and the longer ones black-tipped, 

 but white or faint salmon-colored for four-fifths their length ; a scarlet tuft on 

 the side of the breast ; lining of wings, sides of belly, and flanks bright salmon, 

 fading on crissum ; bill and feet black. Immature : Similar ; tail undeveloped ; 

 no crown-patch ; first primary not emarginate. Length to fork of tail 7.50-8.50 

 (190.5-215.9) ; wing about 5.00 (127.); tail 5.00-10.00 (127.-254.); bill .65 

 (16.5). Females somewhat smaller, and with less developed tails. 



Recognition Marks. — Chewink size (comparing body sizes, exclusive of 

 tail); hoary-ash, scarlet and salmon coloration; tail greatly produced, deeply 

 bifurcated. 



Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, of sticks, etc., lined with feathers 

 and other soft materials built in trees. Eggs. 3-5. .89 x .67 (22.6 x 17.), pure 

 white or creamy white, boldly but sparingly spotted with rich madder-brown and 

 lilac-gray." 



General Range. — Texas, Oklahoma, Indian Territory, southern Kansas, 

 southwestern Missouri, south through eastern Mexico to Costa Rica. Accidental 

 in southern Florida (Key West), Xew Jersey, New England, York Factory 

 (Hudson Bay Territory 1. etc. 



Range in Ohio. — Accidental. One record, by Mr. Frank H. Welder, near 

 Marietta, May 20, 1894. 



THIS exceedingly graceful Flycatcher is known to be a great wanderer, 

 but its normal range is confined to Texas, with adjacent territory on the north 

 and south. The species is admitted to our state list on the authority of 

 Mr. Oliver Davie, who reports a single example said to have been taken near 

 Marietta. 



The Scissor-tail is so named from a habit it has of opening and closing its 

 elongated tail-feathers like the blades of a pair of scissors. These remarkable 

 appendages may possibly serve the bird as balancers, or brakes, in flight, but a 

 more natural explanation would seem to be that they were provided to enable the 

 owner to work off his surplus energies, and to grace his bold sallies after 



