Researchers from the Field Museum have discovered that the Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana), a tropical American bird, communicates by producing sounds with its wing feathers instead of its voice. These high-pitched trills occur when males fly rapidly — especially during territorial fights or courtship displays.
Using audio, video, and wind tunnel experiments, scientists confirmed that the sounds are created by the vibration of the flight feathers. Two subspecies were studied: one resident in northern South America and another migratory, which breeds in the south (including Uruguay and Argentina) and moves north during the winter.
The migratory subspecies has narrower feather tips, generating higher-pitched sounds than the resident form. These variations act like different dialects or accents, which may help drive speciation — the process through which new species evolve — by influencing how individuals recognize and choose mates.
Credits: Study by researchers from the Field Museum, Universidad de Buenos Aires, SELVA, Universidade Estadual Paulista, and University of California, Riverside.
• Fork-tailed flycatcher
• Tijereta
Scientific classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Tyrannidae
Genus:Tyrannus
Species:T. savana
Laguna Garzón area, Maldonado–Rocha border, Uruguay
Camera: Canon EOS R7
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary
Capture Information:
Focal Length: 600.0 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/1000
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 500
Photo Taken: October 18, 2025
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