Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana

Brazilian name: Tesourinha 
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Roraima, Brazil, July 2001 - click for larger image Brazil

The Fork-tailed Flycatcher normally has spectacularly long tail feathers although these can be shorter in females, immatures and moulting birds (see photo 3)
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Roraima, Brazil, July 2001 - click for larger image The head is black and it is sometimes possible to see a yellow stripe on the crown. The back is pale grey and the underparts are pure white. Immatures (photo 4) have brownish heads.

Different subspecies are identified by the pattern of notches on the outer primaries.
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Roraima, Brazil, July 2001 - click for larger image It is found from Mexico to central Argentina mainly east of the Andes but with some records to the west. It is migratory over much of its range appearing in the Amazon Basin mostly during the austral winter when it can form enormous flocks.

They eat fruit and berries as well as insects.
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Roraima, Brazil, July 2001 - click for larger image They are normally to be seen in savannas and pastures where there are trees or low bushes but during migration they can be found in almost any type of habitat.

There are recordings on xeno-canto, a distribution map from NatureServe and additional information available via Avibase. There is a page in Portuguese on Wikiaves.
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Aguas de São Pedro, São Paulo, Brazil, August 2004 - click for larger image
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Aguas de São Pedro, São Paulo, Brazil, August 2004 - click for larger image
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Aguas de São Pedro, São Paulo, Brazil, November 2008 - click for larger image
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