Baby scissor-tailed flycatchers: from egg to fledgling
A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher lays 3–6 eggs. They hatch after 13–16 days, and the young leave the nest 14–17 days later — about 27–33 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 3–6 eggs
- Incubation
- 13–16 days
- Time in the nest
- 14–17 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 27–33 days
- Broods per year
- 1–2 per season
- Nest
- Cup on an isolated tree limb or utility structure
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (13–16 days): 3–6 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (14–17 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season scissor-tailed flycatchers mainly eat grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and wasps.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young scissor-tailed flycatchers are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1–2 per season. Pairs often start a new nest soon after the first young become independent.
When scissor-tailed flycatchers nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Louisiana (Apr) and latest in Arkansas (May). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
Found a baby Scissor-tailed Flycatcher?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about scissor-tailed flycatchers
Frequently asked
How long do baby scissor-tailed flycatchers stay in the nest?
About 14–17 days after hatching. Eggs take 13–16 days to hatch, so it is roughly 27–33 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher lay?
3–6 eggs per clutch, with 1–2 per season.
Where do scissor-tailed flycatchers nest?
Cup on an isolated tree limb or utility structure.
What should I do if I find a baby Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.