Great Antshrike
Taraba major
The Great Antshrike (Taraba major) is a uncommon antbirds, antshrikes, antwrens, and antvireo found in 19 countries, weighing about 59 g. The great antshrike is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds".
About the Great Antshrike
The great antshrike is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in southern Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, on Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country except Chile, though only as a vagrant in Uruguay.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The great antshrike is a large and distinctive bird, 19 to 20 cm (7.5 to 7.9 in) long and weighing 47.5 to 70 g (1.7 to 2.5 oz). The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism, though both sexes of all subspecies have a large crest, a red iris, and a heavy black bill with a hook at the end like true shrikes. Adult males of the nominate subspecies T. m. major have a black head with the color extending to below the eye. Their upperparts are mostly black with a usually hidden white patch between the scapulars. Voice: The great antshrike's song is generally "a long, accelerating series of c. 40 notes, 5–14 seconds, usually ending in a snarl", though the more northern and western subspecies tend to sing fewer notes and often omit the snarl.
What the Great Antshrike sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Great Antshrike can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Great Antshrike?
- The great antshrike is a large and distinctive bird, 19 to 20 cm (7.5 to 7.9 in) long and weighing 47.5 to 70 g (1.7 to 2.5 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Great Antshrike?
- The Great Antshrike is a small sized bird weighing about 59 g.
- Where can you see a Great Antshrike?
- The Great Antshrike occurs in 19 countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador.
- What does a Great Antshrike sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Great Antshrike on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Great Antshrike?
- The Great Antshrike is most easily confused with the Variable Antshrike, the Plain Antvireo and the Black-crowned Antshrike.
- Is the Great Antshrike endangered?
- The Great Antshrike is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Great Antshrike for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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