Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus forficatus
Large flycatcher with an extremely long, forked tail. Pale gray overall with darker wings and a salmon-colored wash on the belly. In flight, look for brighter salmon underwings. Juveniles are duller and shorter-tailed than adults, but still distinctive. Breeds in open country of Texas and neighboring states, where it is often seen on fenceposts and utility wires. Winters mainly on the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, where it sometimes gathers in large flocks. Might be confused with Fork-tailed Flycatcher in winter range, but note paler plumage with salmon underwings.
识别特征
Adult birds have pale gray heads and upper parts, light underparts, salmon-pink flanks and undertail coverts, and dark gray wings. Axillars and patch on underwing coverts are red. Their extremely long, forked tails, which are black on top and white on the underside, are characteristic and unmistakable. At maturity, the male may be up to 15 in (38 cm) in length, while the female's tail is up to 30% shorter. The wingspan is 15 cm (5.9 in) and the weight is up to 43 g (1.5 oz). Immature birds are duller in color and have shorter tails. A lot of these birds have been reported to be more than 40 cm (16 in).[citation needed]
分类信息
The scissor-tailed flycatcher was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the flycatchers in the genus Muscicapa and coined the binomial name Muscicapa forficata. The specific epithet is from Latin forfex, forficis meaning "a pair of scissors". Gmelin based his description on "Le moucherolle à queue fourchue du Mexique" (French: "the Mexican swallow-tailed flycatcher") that had been described in 1778 by the French polymath Comte de Buffon from a specimen from Mexico and illustrated with a hand-coloured engraving by François-Nicolas Martinet. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is now one of 13 species placed in the kingbird genus Tyrannus that was introduced in 1799 by Bernard Germain de Lacépède. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. <p>Within the genus Tyrannus, the scissor-tailed flycatcher is most closely related to the western kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis). In eastern Arkansas and western Tennessee, there is a hybrid breeding zone where the scissor-tailed flycatcher and the western kingbird are sympatric and possibly compete for the same niche. Both these species have simultaneously expanded their breeding ranges eastward over the past 50 years.
- 学名
- Tyrannus forficatus
- 命名信息
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Tyrannidae
- 属
- Tyrannus
分布与栖息地
Their breeding habitat is open shrubby country with scattered trees in the south-central states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, western portions of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri west to far eastern New Mexico and northeastern Mexico. Reported sightings record occasional stray visitors as far north as southern Canada and Upstate New York, as far east as Florida and Georgia, and in the West Indies. They migrate through Texas and eastern Mexico to their winter non-breeding range, from southern Mexico to Panama. Pre-migratory roosts and flocks flying south may contain as many as 1000 birds.
- 繁殖区
- NA : c USA to ne Mexico
- 非繁殖区
- w Mexico to Panama
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Pallas's Bunting
Emberiza pallasi
Very similar to Reed Bunting, but smaller and more slender; also note finer bill, colder pale buffy-brown (instead of rufous) wing coverts, and less extensive streaking on the underparts. Breeding male has a black hood and bright white “moustache” stripe. Female and non-breeding birds are pale sandy brown with a pale but noticeable white “moustache.” Breeds in thickets and vegetation clusters in tundra and winters in reedbeds and tall grassy or brushy areas near water, where often associated with mixed-species flocks. Song is a series of wet buzzy “tsli” notes. “Chlip” calls distinctly sparrow-like.
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
A very widespread small heron, common across much of the globe. Small size and overall gray color separates from most other herons and bitterns. Look for contrasting dark cap, distinct pale edges on wing feathers, and white and rufous stripes on front of neck. Juvenile streakier below than adult. Similar to Green Heron but note mostly gray neck with restricted rufous. Juvenile is much smaller and more slender than juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron, with long streaks on the chest and spotting restricted to the wings. Normally solitary, found standing quietly around wetland habitats such as marshes, agricultural fields, rivers, and lakes.
Mekong Wagtail
Motacilla samveasnae
Large black-and-white wagtail with an intricately and uniquely striped head pattern. Wings and outer tail feathers flash brightly in flight. Adult male is black-backed, while the female and immature have a duller gray-brown back. Simple song is a compilation of a few high phrases of whistles and twitters. Call is harsh and buzzy. Found only around flowing lowland rivers with braided rocky sections, specifically a unique composite of gravel and sand bars with low vegetation and boulders.
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