Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Also known as Swallow-tailed Flycatcher, Scissorstail, Texas Bird-of-Paradise

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are striking open-country birds celebrated for their remarkably long, deeply forked tail feathers that open and close like shears during aerial maneuvers. They perch prominently on fence lines, utility wires, and isolated trees before launching into acrobatic swoops to snag grasshoppers and beetles mid-air. During breeding season, males perform spectacular sky-dancing courtship displays, tumbling backward while uttering sharp, buzzy calls.