An Unusual Bird Siting at Thomas Farm

With its nine-inch-long tail, the scissor-tailed flycatcher is a unique and beautiful bird. Breeding in the southcentral United States and northeastern Mexico, it can be found in open habitats, along roadsides, and perched on wires and fence posts. The bird is rarely seen in Pennsylvania.

On May 4th, Ligonier Township resident Robin Hunt spotted an unusual bird at the Thomas Farm, a few miles east of Ligonier Borough, Westmoreland County. The 78-acre Thomas Farm, owned by WPC and currently for sale through our Conservation Buyer program, is comprised mainly of open fields and provides sweeping vistas of the Ligonier Valley. With her field guide, Robin identified the bird as a scissor-tailed flycatcher. She called her father, Bob Shaw, an avid Ligonier Valley birder. Bob arrived and contacted the staff at the Powdermill Avian Research Center, located only few miles from the Thomas Farm.

Powdermill staff arrived and were able to photograph the wayward bird, documenting the first known sighting of a scissor-tailed flycatcher in the Ligonier Valley since 1970. Only a handful of scissor-tailed flycatchers have been sighted in all of Pennsylvania.

According to Bob Leberman of Powdermill, it is very unusual for an adult scissor-tailed flycatcher to be in western Pennsylvania, but the species is known to wander and has expanded its range as far east as Tennessee.

The male scissor-tailed flycatcher is known for its dramatic up-and-down, zigzag courtship flight that may end with reverse somersaults. The scissor-tailed flycatcher's diet consists almost entirely of insects, although it occasionally eats berries. It is an aggressive defender of its nesting territory against crows and hawks.

The photos of the scissor-tailed flycatcher at the Thomas Farm were taken by Mike Lanzone, Assistant Project Coordinator of the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas, coordinated by Carnegie Museum of Natural History from the Powdermill office.

E-mail Today's WPC Daily to a Friend!

Sign Up for the WPC Morning Tidbit

Play "How Well Do You Know Your Western Pa. Trees?"
Play "How Well Do You Know Your Western Pa. Birds?"