Cock-tailed Tyrant Alectrurus tricolor Scientific name definitions

Being largely restricted to unmodified native, seasonally wet and dry grasslands, and endemic to the Cerrado biome of central South America, the Cock-tailed Tyrant is now considered globally threatened due to ongoing habitat destruction throughout much of its wide range. Although this tyrant is principally found in southern Brazil, there are also populations in northern and eastern Bolivia, and eastern Paraguay, and at least formerly the Cock-tailed Tyrant was known from extreme northeast Argentina, but there have been no records in the last-named country since the late 1970s. The species is heavily dependent on the protected areas network, and the Cock-tailed Tyrant remains locally common in some national parks and reserves. This is a striking bird, with the male being mainly black above, relieved by a gray rump and white shoulder patch, face, and underparts; the tail is also black with broad central rectrices, which are longer and oriented perpendicular to the others. The female has brown feathering replacing the black, whitish below, and has an unmodified, short tail. Breeding commences at the start of the wet season, in September–October, but some details concerning the species’ nesting biology have only recently been elucidated.

12 cm, breeding-plumaged male to 19 cm. Male has white or whitish face ; mostly black above , with grey on rump (black feathers brown-fringed in fresh plumage), white shoulders and patch on secondaries; tail extraordinary, wide, stiff central rectrices twisted 90 degrees so that vanes in vertical position, remaining rectrices laterally compressed against central ones, mostly frayed near tip; mostly white below, black patch on each side of chest forming partial collar; iris dark brown; bill mostly yellowish, some dusky coloration on culmen, lower mandible generally paler; legs grey. Female is mottled brown above, wings darker brown, tail dark brown, short, and normal in shape; throat white, underparts whitish, often tinged buff, some brown on chest sides forming partial collar. Immature male resembles female.

N Bolivia, S Brazil (S Mato Grosso E to Minas Gerais, S to Paraná) and E Paraguay.

Resident; at the most only partially migratory or nomadic (1 Marini, M.Â., Barbet-Massin, M., Lopes, L.E. and Jiguet, F. (2012). Geographic and seasonal distribution of the Cock-tailed Tyrant (Alectrurus tricolor) inferred from niche modeling. Journal of Ornithology. 154: 393–402. Close ).

Arthropods. Often gregarious, even during breeding; large aggregations of female-plumaged birds sometimes seen. Conspicuous; while perched , often jerks tail upwards and then lowers it slowly at 1-second intervals, accompanied by wing-flick. Forages with aerial hawking, sally-gleaning or hover-gleaning against shrubs or grass stalks; peculiar, insect-like wingbeats, often making audible buzzy sound.

Aug–Nov; timing of breeding may vary with onset of rains. Male displays by rising slowly into air from 5 m up to 100 m with exaggerated fast, fluttery wingbeats, and alternating tail position between straight down and cocked well above horizontal. Nest a neat grassy cup, hidden on or near ground. No other information.

VULNERABLE. Uncommon to locally common; very local, largely because of rarity of undisturbed habitat, especially tall grass; numerous only in protected areas. Estimated global population of at least 10,000 individuals; continuing to decline, and no recent reports from a large portion of its former range of c. 626,000 km², which is increasingly fragmented owing to native grassland being burned, drained and coverted for pasture, eucalypt (Eucalyptus) and pine (Pinus) plantations and agriculture (encouraged by government incentives). Normally disappears from burnt areas, but has been observed feeding on the ground in recently burnt areas. By 1993, two-thirds of cerrado region in C Brazil had been heavily or moderately altered, leading to a catastrophic loss of range in Brazil and Argentina (where the species has not been recorded since 1979, despite intensive searches). Few undisturbed areas remain outside protected areas, and these may soon be degraded by spreading fires and overgrazing or disappear completely through agricultural conversion. The species remains common only in undisturbed grasslands, e.g. Gama-Cabeça de Veado Environmental Protection Area, São Miguel Wildlife Sanctuary and Brasília, Emas and Serra da Canastra National Parks, all in Brazil. It occurs also in a few scattered protected areas in Goiás, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais and Paraná, in Brazil, Beni Biosphere Reserve, in Bolivia, and San Rafael and San Luis National Parks, Tapytá Private Nature Reserve, and Sombrero Private Reserve, in Paraguay.