Photo: Rogier Klappe / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus savana
Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 31.9 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Tyrannidae Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura
- Genus Tyrannus
- Species savana
Quick facts
- Weight
- 31.9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open grassland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) is a member of the Tyrannidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA s Mexico to Uruguay.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 31.9 g, with a wing length of about 10.6 cm and a tail of around 21.5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 8.2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Fork-tailed Flycatcher?
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a small bird that weighs around 31.9 g.
Where does the Fork-tailed Flycatcher live?
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA s Mexico to Uruguay, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Fork-tailed Flycatcher belong to?
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Fork-tailed Flycatcher eat?
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Fork-tailed Flycatcher migrate?
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Fork-tailed Flycatcher endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Fork-tailed Flycatcher make?
1 real field recording of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Fork-tailed Flycatcher's range?
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher has a mapped global range of about 8.2 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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A field guide to the Tyrannidae family — 444 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.