Great Antshrike (Taraba major)

Identification & Behavior: ~19.5 cm (7.6 in). The male Great Antshrike has black upperparts with white wing bars. The underparts are pure white. The female has rufous upperparts and white underparts. Both sexes have a bright red iris and a thick bill. It forages in thick foliage in forest edges and second growth.  The male’s plumage resembles that of the much smaller Black and White Antbird. The female resembles the plumage of a Pale-legged Hornero, but these species use different habitats. Also, see a female White-lined Antbird.

Status: The Great Antshrike is fairly common to common and widespread in Amazonia where it is known to range up to 1500 m along the east slope of the Andes. It is rare in the semi-deciduous forest in extreme northwest Peru, in Tumbes. The Great Antshrike also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Batará Grande.

Sub-species: Great Antshrike (Taraba major transandeanus), (P. L. Sclater), 1855.  Pacific slope of extreme SW Colombia (Nariño), W Ecuador, and extreme NW Peru (Tumbes).
(Taraba major melanurus), (P. L. Sclater), 1855.  SE Colombia (Caquetá, Putumayo, Amazonas), E Ecuador, E Peru and SW Amazonian Brazil (S of R Amazon in W Amazonas and Acre E to middle R Purus and N bank of R Abunã).

Meaning of Name: Taraba: Tupí name Tarabe for an Amazon parrot. major: L. maior, maioris= greater, larger, powerful.

See more of the Family Thamnophilidae