Named for the distinguishably long, forked tail, particularly in males, fork-tailed flycatchers are seen in shrubland, savanna, lightly forested and grassland areas, from southern Mexico to south past Argentina.

Northern populations near southern Mexico tend to be permanent residents, while fork-tailed flycatchers that live further south are migrants with a reputation for wandering to as far north as New Brunswick, Canada.

The fork-tailed flycatcher was described in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson under the French name "le tyran à queue fourchue" (lit.

This recent research has pointed towards a hypothesis that fork-tailed flycatchers are splitting into two distinct species, as the nonmigratory birds have a much-lower-pitched whistling note than the migrators.

During migration, fork-tailed flycatchers have been observed flying accompanied by relative species such as eastern kingbirds and aggressively chasing off predators.

[17] The nominate subspecies, T. s. savana, is found in central and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina (south to the Río Negro), and overwinters in Amazonia, a large portion of northern South America (i.e., within the Orinoco River Basin), and Trinidad and Tobago, occasionally appearing in the West Indies.

[9] Courtship displays also provide a usage for their long tail feathers (which are longer in males), as a way to impress potential mates.

[16] Fork-tailed flycatchers tend to build their cup nests in similar habitats to their hunting grounds (riparian forests, grasslands).

In fact, fork-tailed flycatchers – though small and light – can reach speeds up to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) and stop/turn impressively quickly using their flashy tails.