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.
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South Dakota Status: Non-resident in South Dakota |