A HOME NEAR SHOPPING Story and photo by Rick Jordahl On a recent trip to the Metro North Mall recycling center, I was surprised to see a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) sitting on a speed limit sign very near one of the Mall’s entrances. I pulled over and parked to watch for a while as he fluttered around chasing (and catching) flying insects. Graceful and beautiful, the Scissortail is a wonderful sight with its deeply forked tail, up to 8" in length, scissoring as they dive, bob and weave in pursuit of the particular insect they are after. While the Scissortail is a fairly common bird, it’s definitely not one you see every day and always a great sighting. After observing a few minutes, I discovered that there was a pair nesting in a tree very near where I stopped to watch. Yup, these two ‘upper middle class’ Scissortails chose to raise their family about 150 feet from the entrance to Macy’s department store, right in the mall parking lot! Most of the time I was there, the female was sitting on the nest - a gangly affair of twigs, sticks and fuzz balls with shoe laces dangling two feet below. Come to find out, the Scissortail often uses many human products in its nest, such as string, cloth, paper, carpet fuzz, and even cigarette filters. The next morning I returned to the Mall with my Nikon digiscope system hoping to get a photo of Oklahoma’s State Bird and was lucky to catch the male pictured here. Readily identifiable by its elegant long tail and famous zigzagging and somersaulting “sky dance,” the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is a magnificent sight anywhere. It can be found perched on prairie fence lines, in isolated trees or even on road signs near the mall. They consume a great number of grasshoppers and other insects which makes them popular with farmers and ranchers. The head, neck and back are pale gray, and the breast is white. Wings are black with gray highlights and a patch of scarlet can be seen under the shoulder. Also, look for the salmon-pink undersides. The bird’s range, which may be gradually expanding, is limited to south central states including Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas as well as western Missouri and Arkansas. As I left, I saw the male dodging cars that came zipping by while he was flying after his bugs. I wish the best for my “Shopping Mall” birds and hope the whole family makes it out safely. Good luck to them!

BACKYARD BIRD CENTER (816) 746-1113 info@backyardbirdcenterKC.com 6212 NW Barry Road • Kansas City, Missouri • 64154 [ BACK TO TOP ]