SCISSORTAIL Definition & Meaning

scissortail

[ siz-er-teyl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

Also called scissor·tailed flycatcher [siz, -er-teyld]. a flycatcher, Muscivora forficatus, of the southern U.S., Mexico, and Central America, having a long, deeply forked tail. tails.
any of various other birds having a long, forked tail. tails.

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First recorded in 1830–40; scissor(s) + tail ¹

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Examples have not been reviewed.

On our first dip in the water, we saw a stunning array of fish ranging from yellow-striped snapper to blue iridescent scissortail damselfish.

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A phoebe hollers from her nest; a scissortail flits between fence and field.

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Smaller birds went skimming over the prairie,—now a golden meadowlark, then a darker scissortail snipping the air off behind it in swift flight.

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