A bird (length 38 cm) with a very long tail, that opens and
closes in flight like scissors. This flycatcher is found on
savannas and open fields in the coastal region. They sleep
together in large numbers in the mangrove and also near
Paramaribo in trees and palms. The birds in the northern part of
Suriname are migrants, mostly coming from the south of the
continent and some from Venezuela. They stay in Suriname between
april and september, the largest numbers are seen at the end of
the rainy season. In the Sipalawini savanna in the south the bird
stays the whole year and probably breeds.
The birds catch insects in a flycatcher manner, first sitting on
low branches or barbed wire untill they see a prey and fly up.
Mees observed them eating the fruits of the royal palm: they pick
them from the tree in flight and swallow them in one piece.
First and second photos were made by Carla Out in Paramaribo in
September 2006 and the third one by Ronald teulings also in
Suriname.
Each small square indicates the observation of at least one (group) of these birds, the medium ones at least 4 observations on different days and the largest ones 10 or more. The color of each square indicates: blue for coastal area, yellow for savanna and red for rainforest. Around August groups of dozens of birds can be seen. The following graph gives the total number of birds seen in each month, summed over a couple of years. February has the minimum with one bird seen, as far as I know, since 1946.
The breeding areas of this flycatcher. Most of the birds seen in Suriname come from the south of South America and spend the southern winter here.
| Distribution in Suriname (explanation) | |
| Coastal area |  |
| Savanna | |
| Forests |  |
| Mountain forests | |
| Sipalawini savanna |  |
Names in
Pictures of birds in Suriname, more flycatchers
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