Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Males arrive on the breeding grounds before females in early spring — typically early April in Oklahoma — to establish territories. The nest is a ragged open cup, 11–15 cm in diameter, placed on a horizontal limb or in a vertical fork, usually 2–9 m above ground in an isolated tree or tall shrub. Hackberry, mesquite, elm, oak, and orchard trees are commonly used. Nests are also built on utility poles, windmill towers, bridge supports, and streetlamps.

The female builds the nest alone, sometimes escorted by the male, completing it anywhere from a few days to several weeks. The outer frame is constructed from coarse plant stems, oak catkins, cudweed, wool, and Spanish moss. In urban Texas, one study found that artificial human materials — string, cloth, paper, carpet fuzz, and cigarette filters — accounted for 30% of total nest weight, making this one of the most urban-adapted nest builders among North American flycatchers. The inner cup is lined with tightly woven dried roots, thistledown, and cotton fibres.

Clutch size is 3–6 eggs (typically 4–5), white or creamy with dark red, reddish-brown, or purple blotches concentrated at the larger end. One egg is laid per day; incubation does not begin until the last egg is laid and is performed solely by the female over 13–23 days (typically 14–17 days). Chicks hatch altricial — naked except for sparse white down — and both parents feed the nestlings. Young fledge 14–17 days after hatching.

After the first brood fledges, the female typically builds a second nest and lays a new clutch while the male tends the fledglings from the first brood. Up to two broods per season are raised. Nests are only rarely parasitised by Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are capable of recognising and removing cowbird eggs from their nests. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes can destroy large numbers of nests, significantly reducing local reproductive output in some years.

Wild Scissor-tailed Flycatchers typically live 3–7 years, with the oldest individual on record reaching 10.9 years according to US Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory data. This maximum is broadly comparable to other medium-sized Tyrannidae flycatchers, though the species' long-distance migration and exposure to severe weather on the breeding grounds introduce significant annual mortality risks.

Nest failure from thunderstorms and tornadoes can be substantial in some years across the Great Plains breeding range, and first-year birds face the highest mortality rates as they navigate their first southward migration to Mexico and Central America — a round trip of approximately 4,000 km. Predation by hawks and falcons is the primary cause of adult mortality; nest predation by snakes and corvids accounts for a significant proportion of reproductive failure.

Pesticide exposure on both the breeding and wintering grounds is a growing concern, as it reduces insect prey availability and may directly affect adult survival and nestling development. Despite a documented population decline of approximately 31% between 1966 and 2014, the species' relatively high reproductive rate — up to two broods per season with clutches of 3–6 eggs — provides some buffer against annual losses. Birds that survive their first year and establish a territory have a reasonable chance of reaching 5 or more years of age.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2021), with a global population estimated at approximately 9.1–9.5 million mature individuals (Partners in Flight 2019; BirdLife International). Despite this, the long-term trend is downward: North American Breeding Bird Survey data show a decline of approximately 31% between 1966 and 2014. The species rates 11 out of 20 on the Partners in Flight Continental Concern Score.

The primary drivers of decline are habitat loss and fragmentation — conversion of open grasslands to intensive agriculture or residential development — and pesticide use, which reduces insect prey availability and may harm adults and nestlings directly. Brush clearance removes nest sites and perch structures. Climate change is projected to affect both range and habitat suitability over the coming decades.

The picture is not uniformly bleak. In some areas the species appears to be expanding its range in response to forest clearing on both breeding and wintering grounds, and the planting of shelterbelt trees has provided additional nesting sites in parts of the Great Plains. The species is fully protected under the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918) and the Canadian Migratory Birds Convention Act (1994).

No targeted conservation programmes currently exist for this species. Researchers recommend retaining strips or patches of brush when clearing land, and maintaining isolated trees and shrubs within open grasslands to preserve both nesting habitat and the elevated perch sites the species depends on for foraging.

The male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher's courtship display is among the most elaborate aerial performances of any North American passerine. Shortly after arriving on the breeding grounds in early April, males begin their "sky dance": climbing to approximately 30 m (100 ft) in the air, then plunging in a series of erratic, V-shaped dives while opening and closing the long tail streamers and uttering a rolling, cackling call. Backwards somersaults mid-dive have been documented. The entire sequence can be repeated multiple times in succession and is most frequently performed in the early morning hours along roadsides and over open grassland.

The tail is central to mate choice. Research by Regosin and Pruett-Jones (2001), conducted at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1991–1992, demonstrated that females actively choose males with longer tails as mates. The tail-length dimorphism ratio of 1.48 is the highest recorded for any North American passerine, and experimental tail manipulation studies in related kingbird species have confirmed that longer tails confer a direct mating advantage. The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher's tail is therefore both a sexual signal and a functional aerodynamic tool — a dual role that is unusual among sexually selected ornaments in birds.

Pairs are socially monogamous within a season but do not always reunite in subsequent years. Both male and female search for a nest site together, testing potential spots by pressing themselves against branches. Once the female begins building, the male's role shifts to territory defence and provisioning — he may occasionally sit over the eggs to shade them from the sun when the female is absent, but incubation is performed solely by the female.

No bird is more closely identified with Oklahoma than the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. It was designated state bird on 26 May 1951 by House Joint Resolution No. 21, defeating the bobwhite quail — which had won a public popularity contest back in 1932 — largely on the grounds that no other US state had claimed it. The bird is depicted in flight on the reverse of the Oklahoma Commemorative Quarter (issued 2008) and appears on the state's licence plate. FC Tulsa, the professional soccer club, features the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on its crest.

In Texas, the species has historically been called the "Texas bird of paradise" — a nickname that captures the combination of improbable elegance and everyday accessibility that makes it so beloved. Unlike many showpiece birds, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is genuinely common along roadsides and fence lines across the south-central US, meaning most Texans and Oklahomans have a personal encounter story.

The species also appears in the popular board game Wingspan, which has introduced millions of players worldwide to North American bird diversity. Its card in the game reflects the bird's real-world attributes: a long tail, insectivorous diet, and grassland habitat. For many players, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is the first time they encounter this species by name — and the game's artwork captures the salmon-pink and pearl-grey palette with reasonable accuracy.