Arriving at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area early this morning, I observed a scissor-tailed flycatcher along the entry road, the first of the season. This species, which appears to belong in the tropics, breeds across the south-central region of the U.S., including the southwestern quadrant of Missouri. Though they winter in South Florida and the Tropics, they move north rather early in spring and this morning's observation was not unusual.
Scissor-tailed flycatchers summer on open farmlands and ranch lands with nearby trees. They feed on a wide variety of flying insects but also glean others from the foliage or the ground. Nests, built by the female, are placed on tree limbs or on man-made towers and these flycatchers are often seen on barbed-wire fencing throughout the warmer months (especially in Texas, Oklahoma and eastern Kansas).
While up to a dozen have been observed in this region of the State, I have never observed more than two at a time; nevertheless, it is always a pleasure to encounter this exotic summer resident. Come October, he and his cohorts will begin their long migration to tropical climes.
Scissor-tailed flycatchers summer on open farmlands and ranch lands with nearby trees. They feed on a wide variety of flying insects but also glean others from the foliage or the ground. Nests, built by the female, are placed on tree limbs or on man-made towers and these flycatchers are often seen on barbed-wire fencing throughout the warmer months (especially in Texas, Oklahoma and eastern Kansas).
While up to a dozen have been observed in this region of the State, I have never observed more than two at a time; nevertheless, it is always a pleasure to encounter this exotic summer resident. Come October, he and his cohorts will begin their long migration to tropical climes.
