Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Brownsville, Texas

North America boasts two very long-tailed flycatchers. The first is the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. It’s found in the summer throughout he southcentral United States, and year-round in Mexico and Central America. It’s a bit of bug-eating specialist, targeting mostly grasshoppers and beetles. The male’s tail is longer than the female’s and the colors on the female are duller and drabber.

While this species is reasonably adaptable – they are often seen perched on wires and fences – it prefers the mesquite habitat and there is some concern that loss of that habitat through human activities is jeopardizing the species. But, at least so far, populations appear stable.

For more bird photographs, please visit Frozen Feather Images.