fork-tailed flycatcher

The fork-tailed flycatcher was described in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson under the French name "{{lang|fr|le tyran à queue fourchue|italic=no}}" ({{literally|the fork-tailed tyrant}}){{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés | volume= 2 | language=fr, la | pages=395–398 | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36011707}} and then again in 1780 by Georges-Louis Buffon under the name "{{lang|fr|le savana|italic=no}}"{{ cite book | last=Buffon | first=Georges-Louis Leclerc de | author-link=Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon | year=1780 | chapter=Le Savana | title=Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux | volume= 14 | place=Paris | publisher= L'Imprimerie Royale | pages=557–558 | language=fr | chapter-url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42410767 }} (because it lived in savannahs),{{cite book |last1=Jobling |first1=James A. |title=Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names |date=2010 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-4081-3326-2 |quote= given […] by de Buffon […] because it inhabited flooded savanna grasslands }} but it was not until 1802 that François Marie Daudin coined the binomial name Tyrannus savana.{{ cite book | last1=Lacépède | first1=Bernard Germain de | author1-link=Bernard Germain de Lacépède | last2=Daudin | first2=François Marie | author2-link=François Marie Daudin | chapter=Tableau des sous-classes, divisions, sous-divisions, ordres et genres des oiseaux, par le Cen Lacépède; avec l'indication de toutes les espèces décrites par Buffon, et leur distribution dans chacun des genres, par F. M. Daudin | date=1799 | language=fr | editor-last=Buffon | editor-first=Georges-Louis Leclerc de | editor-link=Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon | title=Histoire Naturelle par Buffon Dédiée au citoyen Lacépède, membre de l'Institut National | volume= 14: Quadrupedes | location=Paris | publisher=P. Didot l'ainé et Firmin Didot | pages=197–346 [227] | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42033477 }} Although the date of 1799 is printed on the title page, this volume was not published until 1802. For a discussion of the date see: {{ cite journal | last=Richmond | first=Charles W. | author-link=Charles Wallace Richmond | date=1899 | title=On the date of Lacépède's 'Tableaux' | journal=Auk | volume=16 | issue=4 | pages=325–329 | doi=10.2307/4069359 | jstor=4069359 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15935570 }} The type locality is Suriname.{{ cite journal | last=Zimmer | first=John Todd | author-link=John T. Zimmer | year=1937 | title=Studies of Peruvian birds. No. 27, Notes on the genera Muscivora, Tyrannus, Empidonomus, and Sirystes, with further notes on Knipolegus | journal=American Museum of Natural History| series=American Museum Novitates: No. 962 | pages=1–2 | hdl=2246/3860 | url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/3860 }}{{ cite book | editor-last=Traylor | editor-first=Melvin A. Jr | year=1979 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume= 8 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=226 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14501003 }}

Four subspecies are recognised:{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=July 2020 | title=Tyrant flycatchers | work=IOC World Bird List Version 10.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/flycatchers/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=21 January 2021 }}

• Tyrannus savana monachus Hartlaub, 1844 – southern Mexico to Colombia, the Guianas, and northern Brazil
• Tyrannus savana sanctaemartae (Zimmer, JT, 1937) – northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela
• Tyrannus savana circumdatus (Zimmer, JT, 1937) – east-central Brazil
• Tyrannus savana savana Daudin, 1802 – central, southern South America and the Falkland Islands

Fork-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus savana monachus) in flight Cayo 2.jpg|in flight

Fork-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus savana monachus) in flight Cayo.jpg|showing fork tail

The fork-tailed flycatcher is white below, gray above, and has a black cap. Males sometimes show a yellow crown stripe. Males also have an extremely long, forked tail, of even greater length than that of the related scissor-tailed flycatcher. Females have a somewhat shorter tail, and it is significantly shorter in juveniles.

Males are {{convert|37|–|41|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length; females, {{convert|28|–|30|cm|in|abbr=on}}, including tail. They weigh only {{convert|28|–|32|g|oz|abbr=on}}, much less than closely related kingbirds, which are half the total length of this species. The tail in adult males is two to three times longer than the length of the bird from the bill to the base of the tail. Generally, males and females of the species look quite similar, but can be distinguished by the longer tail in males.{{Cite journal|last=Roche|first=John P|date=September 2005|title=Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, and David Christie. Barcelona (Spain): Lynx Edicions. $195.00. 863 p; ill.; index. {{text|ISBN}}: 84–87334–69–5. 2004.|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/497223|journal=The Quarterly Review of Biology|volume=80|issue=3|pages=365|doi=10.1086/497223|issn=0033-5770|url-access=subscription}}

The nominate subspecies T. s. savana has a darker grey back compared to T. s. monachus and T. s. sanctaemartae, which have notable light backs that contrast greatly with their black heads. Discrete notches on the primary feathers are also quite handy in identifying subspecies.{{Cite journal|last=Lloyd-Evans|first=Trevor L.|date=November 2009|title=Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part II.— Peter Pyle . 2008. Slate Creek Press, Point Reyes Station, CA.|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/cond.2009.review07|journal=The Condor|volume=111|issue=4|pages=764–767|doi=10.1525/cond.2009.review07|s2cid=84007606|issn=0010-5422|url-access=subscription}}

Most fork-tailed flycatchers are migratory, but some stay year-round, especially in southern Mexico. Migratory fork-tailed flycatchers tend to have more pointed wings than nonmigratory flycatchers.{{Cite journal|last1=Carvalho Provinciato|first1=Ivan C.|last2=Araújo|first2=Márcio S.|last3=Jahn|first3=Alex E.|date=August 2018|title=Drivers of wing shape in a widespread Neotropical bird: a dual role of sex-specific and migration-related functions|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10682-018-9945-4|journal=Evolutionary Ecology|volume=32|issue=4|pages=379–393|doi=10.1007/s10682-018-9945-4|bibcode=2018EvEco..32..379C |s2cid=49864430|issn=0269-7653|hdl=11449/171201|hdl-access=free}}

File:Tyrannus savana - Fork-tailed Flycatcher XC112746.mp3

Fork-tailed flycatchers produce both vocal and nonvocal sounds. In general, they have a dry, buzzy call, and a weak "tic-note" while in flight.{{Cite journal|last=Rosenberg|first=Gary H.|date=July 2010|title=Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America.— Robert S. Ridgely and Guy Tudor . 2009. University of Texas Press, Austin. ISBN 9780292717480 |journal= Auk |volume=127| issue=3|pages=717–718|doi=10.1525/auk.2010.127.3.717|s2cid=86322564|doi-access=free}}

Their wings have been observed to make a distinct whistling note while flying overhead. In fact, research has been conducted involving distinct differences in the pitch of whistling noises by different subspecies of T. savana. This recent research has pointed towards a hypothesis that fork-tailed flycatchers are splitting into two distinct species, as the nonmigratory birds have a much-lower-pitched whistling note than the migrators. This becomes another observed difference amongst others (e.g. wing shape) pointing to the two-species conclusion.{{Cite journal|last1=Gómez-Bahamón|first1=Valentina|last2=Tuero|first2=Diego T|last3=Castaño|first3=María Isabel|last4=Jahn|first4=Alex E|last5=Bates|first5=John M|last6=Clark|first6=Christopher J|date=2020-08-10|title=Sonations in Migratory and Non-migratory Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus savana)|journal=Integrative and Comparative Biology|volume=60|issue=5|pages=1147–1159|doi=10.1093/icb/icaa115|pmid=32777043|issn=1540-7063|doi-access=free|hdl=11449/209905|hdl-access=free}}

During mating displays, the males' wings may also make dry, crackling sounds; further research has investigated the use of these wing noises in potentially startling predators or would-be nest parasites (e.g. shiny cowbird).

Fork-tailed flycatchers are usually found below 1000 m elevation where they occur in a wide variety of habitats including pastures, riparian forests, forest edges, mangroves, and open residential areas with scattered trees. During migration, however, T. savana may be found in an even broader range of habitats.{{Cite journal|last1=Roy|first1=Michael S.|last2=Torres-Mura|first2=Juan Carlos|last3=Hertel|first3=Fritz|date=February 1999|title=Molecular Phylogeny and Evolutionary History of the Tit-Tyrants (Aves: Tyrannidae)|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/mpev.1998.0563|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=11|issue=1|pages=67–76|doi=10.1006/mpev.1998.0563|pmid=10082611|bibcode=1999MolPE..11...67R |issn=1055-7903|url-access=subscription}}

Its breeding range is from central Mexico to central Argentina. In most of this range, it is usually found year-round, but in the southern parts of its range, it retreats northward for the winter.

During migration, fork-tailed flycatchers are quite gregarious, nesting in flocks of up to 10,000 individuals.{{Cite web|last=Jahn & Tuero|first=A, D.|date=March 4, 2020|title=fork-tailed flycatcher|url=https://birdsoftheworld-org.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/bow/species/fotfly/cur/introduction|website=Birds of the World}}{{Citation|last1=Jahn|first1=Alex. E.|title=Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana)|date=2020-03-04|url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/fotfly/1.0/introduction|work=Birds of the World|editor-last=Billerman|editor-first=Shawn M.|publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology|language=en|doi=10.2173/bow.fotfly.01|access-date=2020-09-26|last2=Tuero|first2=D. T.|editor2-last=Keeney|editor2-first=Brooke K.|editor3-last=Rodewald|editor3-first=Paul G.|editor4-last=Schulenberg|editor4-first=Thomas S.|url-access=subscription}} This species is known to wander widely. It is spotted almost annually in the eastern United States seaboard and Canada, normally around fall (September–November).

During migration, fork-tailed flycatchers have been observed flying accompanied by relative species such as eastern kingbirds and aggressively chasing off predators.{{Cite book|last=Guic|first=Laura|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.18294/rdi.2020.177030|title=Ramos Mejía y las multitudes argentinas : una intervención política en Buenos Aires, hacia fines del SXIX|date=2019-09-20|publisher=Universidad Nacional de Lanús. Maestría en Metodología de la Investigación Científica|doi=10.18294/rdi.2020.177030|s2cid=242506188 }}

The nominate subspecies, T. s. savana, is found in central and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina (south to the Río Negro), and overwinters in Amazonia, a large portion of northern South America (i.e., within the Orinoco River Basin), and Trinidad and Tobago, occasionally appearing in the West Indies.{{Cite journal|last=Rosenberg|first=Gary H.|date=July 2010|title=Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America.— Robert S. Ridgely and Guy Tudor . 2009. University of Texas Press, Austin. 760 pp., 121 color plates, 135 pages of range maps and country maps. {{text|ISBN}} 9780292717480|journal= Auk|volume=127|issue=3|pages=717–718|doi=10.1525/auk.2010.127.3.717|s2cid=86322564|issn=0004-8038|doi-access=free}}

Males perform aerial courtship displays involving swirling somersaults, twists, and flips. All partnered with their buzzing calls, they do their best to impress female counterparts. Courtship displays also provide a usage for their long tail feathers (which are longer in males), as a way to impress potential mates. Breeding seasons are dependent on subspecies and location; breeding season ranges from late summer to mid-winter.

Fork-tailed flycatchers tend to build their cup nests in similar habitats to their hunting grounds (riparian forests, grasslands). They tend to prefer specific trees in specific geographic locations, such as Kielmeyera trees in central Brazil. The clutch is 1–3 eggs.{{Cite journal | last1=Marini | first1=M.Â. | last2=Lobo | first2=Y. | last3=Lopes | first3=L.E. | last4=França | first4=L.F. | last5=Paiva | first5=L.V.D. | date=2009 | title=Biologia reprodutiva de Tyrannus savana (Aves, Tyrannidae) em cerrado do Brasil Central | trans-title=Breeding biology of Tyrannus savana (Aves, Tyrannidae) in cerrado of Central Brazil | language=pt | journal=Biota Neotropica | volume=9 | issue=1 | pages=55–63 | doi=10.1590/S1676-06032009000100007 | doi-access=free}}

This species is primarily an insectivore but will switch to berries and small fruits during winter if insects become scarce. Fork-tailed flycatchers sally from their perches to eat flying insects or glean them off of leaves and fruit. When insects become less available in winter months, they have been observed eating fruits.

Fork-tailed flycatcher's long tail is an important asset in their hunt for arthropods. The long tail allows them to turn on a dime and sally after prey. In fact, fork-tailed flycatchers – though small and light – can reach speeds up to {{convert|65|mile/hour|km/hour}} and stop/turn impressively quickly using their flashy tails.{{Cite journal|last1=Jahn|first1=Alex E.|last2=Giraldo|first2=Jose I.|last3=MacPherson|first3=Maggie|last4=Tuero|first4=Diego T.|last5=Sarasola|first5=José Hernán|last6=Cereghetti|first6=Joaquin|last7=Masson|first7=Diego A.|last8=Morales|first8=Marvin V.|date=2016-04-12|title=Demographic variation in timing and intensity of feather molt in migratory Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus s. savana)|journal=Journal of Field Ornithology|volume=87|issue=2|pages=143–154|doi=10.1111/jofo.12147|issn=0273-8570|doi-access=free|hdl=11336/44789|hdl-access=free}}

{{Reflist|refs=

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{{Commons category|Tyrannus savana}}

{{Wikispecies|Tyrannus savana}}

• {{InternetBirdCollection|fork-tailed-flycatcher-tyrannus-savana|Fork-tailed flycatcher}}
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001020022218/http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/11640300.htm Fork-tailed flycatcher Stamps]}} from Argentina, Brazil, Falkland Islands, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay at {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/19990428065259/http://www.bird-stamps.org/ bird-stamps.org]}}
• {{VIREO|fork-tailed+flycatcher}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070922133155/http://chandra.as.utexas.edu/~kormendy/brazilss/ForkTailedFlycatcher-2184ss.jpg Fork-tailed flycatcher Photo] at [https://web.archive.org/web/20071221050237/http://chandra.as.utexas.edu/~kormendy/brazilbirds.html John Kormendy's Birds of Brazil website]
• {{BirdLife|22700503|Tyrannus savana}}
• {{NeotropicalBirds|fotfly|Fork-tailed flycatcher}}
• {{IUCN_Map|22700503/93780761|Tyrannus savana}}
• {{Xeno-canto species|Tyrannus|savana|Fork-tailed flycatcher}}
• {{inaturalist taxon|16793}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1078611}}

Category:Tyrannus (genus)

Category:Birds of Central America

Category:Birds of South America

Category:Birds described in 1802