Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus savana
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusTyrannus (Kingbirds)
- SpeciesTyrannus savana (Fork-tailed Flycatcher)
About the Fork-tailed Flycatcher
The fork-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) is a passerine bird of the tyrant flycatcher family and is a member of a genus typically referred to as kingbirds. Named for the long, forked tail, particularly in males, fork-tailed flycatchers are seen in shrubland, savanna, lightly forested and grassland areas, from southern Mexico to Argentina. They are frequently observed on conspicuous perches whence they sally after insect prey. Northern populations near southern Mexico tend to be permanent residents, while fork-tailed flycatchers that live further south are migrants with a reputation for wandering as far north as New Brunswick, Canada.
The fork-tailed flycatcher was described in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson under the French name "le tyran à queue fourchue" (lit. 'the fork-tailed tyrant') and then again in 1780 by Georges-Louis Buffon under the name "le savana" (because it lived in savannahs), but it was not until 1802 that François Marie Daudin coined the binomial name Tyrannus savana. The type locality is Suriname.
Four subspecies are recognised: Tyrannus savana monachus Hartlaub, 1844 – southern Mexico to Colombia, the Guianas, and northern Brazil Tyrannus savana... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Lauca National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Lauca National Park
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant
Anairetes flavirostris
White-fronted Ground-Tyrant
Muscisaxicola albifrons
Puna Ground-Tyrant
Muscisaxicola juninensis
White-browed Chat-Tyrant
Ochthoeca leucophrys
Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant
Agriornis montanus
Andean Negrito
Lessonia oreas
Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant
Muscisaxicola maculirostris
Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrant
Muscisaxicola rufivertex
d'Orbigny's Chat-Tyrant
Ochthoeca oenanthoides
Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant
Muscisaxicola flavinucha
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.