This unmistakable species seems quite exotic when seen in the rather drab habitat of the Southern Great Plains. Upperparts are pearl gray with dark lores. The wings are blackish with pale feather edges on the coverts and tertials. The tail is black with white outer edges. The outer tail feathers are stiff and very long, longest on adult males. The throat and breast are white. The sides and belly are washed with salmon pink, intensifying to dark pink or scarlet on the underwing coverts. Juveniles have shorter tails (still longer than that of any similar species), and lack the pink tones.

Length: 25 (cm) Wingspan: 36 (cm)

Voice:

Song is a low throaty series of pik and PEEK notes.

Habitat:

Savannah, grassland with scattered trees or brush, farmland, parks, residential areas. Most often seen perched on fencelines.

Behavior:

Tail is folded closed during flight, but spread when the bird hovers. In migration, forms large roosts, which may include Eastern and Western Kingbirds.

Feeding:

Forages for insects; mostly grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles, by flycatching, gleaning, and feeding on the ground.