Length: 10 to 16 inches (dependent on tail length) | Wingspan: 15 inches | Seasonality: Non-resident in South Dakota |
ID Keys: Extremely long tail, males with significantly longer tail, black head and white throat, gray upperparts, white underparts |
The
Fork-tailed Flycatcher competes with North America's Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher for the bird with the longest tail on the continent.
However, while the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher has a native range over parts
of the United States, the Fork-tailed Flycatcher is just a vagrant to the
United States. They are normally found from southern Mexico, through Central
America, and into much of South America. While many sightings of the
species have occurred near the Atlantic coast of the United States, they
have been found from coast-to-coast in scattered locations, and have even
been found as far north as southern Canada. Given that Mexican and
Central American populations are largely permanent residents, it is thought
that birds found in the United States and Canada are from migratory
populations in South America.
Click below for a higher-resolution map |
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South Dakota Status: Non-resident in South Dakota |