A bird normally occurring in Central and South America, the Fork-tailed Flycatcher has been known to wander widely in North America, making nearly annual visits into the continental United States, and even occasionally to Canada.  This individual, however, marks the first officially verifiable record for the state of Pennsylvania, although there are several undocumented sight records, as well as a specimen collected in 1873 that is apparently lost.  It was found at the far eastern border of Pennsylvania, frequenting a group of trees beside the Delaware River just a stone's throw (literally) from New Jersey.

 

The bird's worn plumage tells of its long journey... here on the lower Delaware River this bird is at least a few thousand miles out of its normal range.  It is no wonder that its elongated tail feathers are all but gone, among other obvious feather wear.