Arkansas. Rare in Louisiana.
Swallow-tailed Flycatcher, Muscicapa forficata, Bonap. Amer. Orn. v. i. p. 15.
Muscicapa forficata, Bonap. Syn. p. 275.
Swallow-tailed Flycatcher, Muscicapa forficata, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 275.
Swallow-tailed Flycatcher, Muscicapa forficata, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 426.
GENUS II. MUSCICAPA, Linnæus. FLYCATCHER.
Bill moderate, or rather long, stout, straight, broad at the base, gradually compressed toward the end; upper mandible with the dorsal outline sloping, the edges sharp and overlapping, with a very small notch close to the small deflected tip; lower mandible with the ridge very broad at the base, the sides rounded, the tip minute and ascending. Nostrils basal, roundish. Head rather large, depressed; neck short; body rather slender. Feet short; tarsus very short, slender, with six very broad scutella, three of which almost meet behind; toes free, the hind toe large, all scutellate above; claws rather long, very slender, arched, finely pointed. Plumage soft and blended. Wings long, second and third quills longest; outer primaries generally attenuated at the end. Tail long, even, or emarginate.
* Bill large. Head with a vermilion patch, outer quills attenuated. Tyrannus of authors.
54. 1. Muscicapa verticalis, Say. Arkansaw Flycatcher.
Plate CCCLIX. Fig. 1. Male. Fig. 2. Female.
The outer five primaries much attenuated toward the end, the first more so, the fifth least, the third longest, but the outer four nearly equal; tail almost even. Upper parts ash-grey, the back tinged with yellow; a patch of bright vermilion on the top of the head; wing-coverts and quills chocolate-brown; upper tail-coverts and tail black, the outer web of the lateral feathers yellowish-white; throat greyish-white, sides and fore part of neck ash-grey, the rest of the lower parts pure yellow. Female similar.
Male, 9, 151/2.