The Black-tailed Cisticola is recorded at scattered sites from eastern Angola to western Democratic Republic of Congo. An Angolan survey found it foraging in mature miombo woodland from near the ground to the canopy.
The adult is described with a rufous head and back, grey-brown wings, whitish underparts, and a long narrow black tail. The captured juvenile was duller, with warm brown head and back.
During a nine-day survey around Cacolo in July–August 2010, it mainly foraged in dense undergrowth at edges and clearings in mature miombo woodland. Records ranged from near the ground to the canopy, including about 12 m high.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.