Scissor-tailed Flycatcher From its long tail to its famous "sky dance," no other Oklahoma bird is more striking and identifiable than the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. It was officially adopted by the State Legislature May 5, 1951 as the Oklahoma state bird. The common name is derived from its former Latin name-Muscivoria forficata, meaning "flying"-"scissors" and "to devour." In Oklahoma, scissortails can be found on open prairies, along tree-lined roads, and along roadsides perched on fences, limbs and in isolated trees. They consume a great number of grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, and other ground-dwelling insects making them economically important and popular with farmers and ranchers.
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