The Cock-tailed Tyrant lives in South American grasslands. The male has a white face and underside, a black patch at the side of the breast, and a long tail; the female is brown with a short tail.
The male has black upperparts, a gray rump, a white face and underside, white between the wing tops, a black patch at the side of the breast, and an elongated crescent-shaped tail. The female is brown and has a short tail.
It feeds on insects and other arthropods in dry grassland and in tall grassland that may flood seasonally.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.