Cock-tailed Tyrant

The cock-tailed tyrant (Alectrurus tricolor) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. == Taxonomy and systematics == The cock-tailed tyrant was formally described in 1816 by Louis Pierre Vieillot as Gallita tricolor. Ironically, in the same publication he erected genus Alectrurus, to which the species was later moved. The cock-tailed tyrant is monotypic. It shares genus Alectrurus with the strange-tailed tyrant (A. risora). == Description == The cock-tailed tyrant is about 12 cm (4.7 in) long excluding the male's 7 cm (2.8 in) tail streamers. Adult males have a black crown and nape and a white or whitish face. Their back is mostly black with white scapulars and a gray rump. Their wings are black with a white patch on the secondaries. Their tail is black. It is very wide with long stiff central feathers that are twisted to the vertical. The other feathers are compressed against the central ones. Their underparts are mostly white with a black patch on the sides of the chest that connect to the nape. Adult females are mottled brown on the body where males are black. Their wings are…