The cock-tailed tyrant is a Vulnerable species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Region
South America
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily in open, seasonally wet grasslands and savannas across central and southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. It favors tall tussock and wet campo grasslands, often near marshy depressions or flood-prone meadows. Moderate grazing and periodic burning can create suitable foraging structure, but intensive pasture improvement and cropland conversion render habitat unsuitable. It typically avoids dense woodland and extensive croplands, persisting in grassland reserves and traditional ranchlands.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Males have a striking, elongated black-and-white tail that is often held cocked upward during display flights, giving the species its name. It specializes in natural and lightly grazed grasslands, and numbers decline where tall native grasses are replaced by intensive agriculture. The species often uses recently burned areas for foraging but depends on a mosaic of unplowed grasslands to breed successfully.
Cock-tailed tyrant, Canastra, Brazil
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with fluttering display flights and brief sallies
Social Behavior
During the breeding season, birds occur in pairs and defend small territories in suitable grassland patches. Males perform conspicuous aerial displays, rising and fluttering with the tail cocked and fanned. Nests are placed low and concealed within clumps of grass. Outside breeding, individuals may join loose foraging groups in open fields.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Song and calls are thin, high-pitched chips and short trills delivered from low perches or during fluttering display flights. Vocalizations are modest in volume but frequent in active territories.
Plumage
Male shows a bold black-and-white pattern with a very long, cocked tail used in display; underparts are mostly white contrasting with darker upperparts. Female and immature birds are brownish to buff with streaking and have a much shorter tail. Overall appearance is that of a small, upright flycatcher of open grasslands.
Diet
Feeds primarily on insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, true bugs, and flies. It hunts by sallying from low perches and by making short flights over grass tops. It also gleans prey from vegetation and occasionally takes small arthropods from the ground. Foraging intensity often increases after burns when prey becomes more exposed.
Preferred Environment
Forages in open native grasslands, especially where grass height is variable with scattered stems and tussocks. Frequently uses fence posts, grass stalks, and low shrubs as hunting perches near damp meadows or marsh edges.
