Bird Guide

Giant Antshrike vs Star-throated Antwren

Giant Antshrike (Batara cinerea)

Giant Antshrike

Batara cinerea

Medium131 gForest

The giant antshrike is the largest antbird, 27 to 35 cm (11 to 14 in) long and weighing 100 to 155 g (3.5 to 5.5 oz). The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism, though both sexes have a crest, a very long and wide tail, and a long gray bill with a hook at the end like true shrikes. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a black forehead, crown, and crest. Their back, wings, and tail are barred with black and white. Their face, nape, throat, and underparts are neutral gray. Adult females have a rufous crest with some black feather tips. Voice: The giant antshrike's song is a "series that starts with a short trill and continues with a fast series of notes that increase in strength and pitch, leveling out and decelerating at the end". Its calls include a "long, raspy, downward-inflected snarl, often repeated rapidly, and a short even series of abrupt loud notes".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Carlos Henrique Luz Nunes de Almeida · CC BY 3.0
Star-throated Antwren (Rhopias gularis)

Star-throated Antwren

Rhopias gularis

Tiny11 gForest

The star-throated antwren is 8.5 to 9.5 cm (3.3 to 3.7 in) long and weighs 10 to 12 g (0.35 to 0.42 oz). Adult males have a grayish forehead and rufous-brown crown, upperparts, and tail with a hidden white patch between the scapulars. Their wings are mostly rufous-brown with white at the bend and blackish brown coverts dotted with pale cinnamon. Their throat is black with white spots, their breast and belly gray, and their flanks and undertail coverts pale rufous-brown. Females have a buffy forehead, larger white throat spots than males, and no white patch between the scapulars. Voice: The star-throated antwren's song is an "extr. high, slightly lowered 'tzew-tzew--' " repeated about six times. One call is a "low 'tzeet-tzeet' ".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Daniel S. Katz · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Giant Antshrike and Star-throated Antwren.