Great Antshrike Gallery

Taraba major

The Birds of the World website provides this introductory information about the Great Antshrike: The Great Antshrike is a large antbird widespread in scrub and second growth from Mexico south to northern Argentina. Its loud song has a pattern resembling a bouncing ball coming to rest, and is commonly heard in appropriate habitat. Seeing birds as they skulk through dense, low growth can be difficult. When glimpsed, this bird is distinctive with its large size, heavy build, bushy crest, red eyes, and bicolored plumage. Males are black above and white below, while in females the black is replaced by rich rufous-brown. This species feeds largely on arthropods, but occasionally on molluscs or small vertebrates. 

I saw and photographed my first Great Antshrike on the morning of August 21, 2023 at Parque Mãe Bonifácia in Cuiabá, Brazil. I had a free day from tour activities, so I went to the park by myself and spent the morning walking the trails and looking for birds.  I spotted this rufous colored female as I watched a Bare-faced Ibis near one of the main trails, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was a new bird for me. For a more detailed description of the trip that included my sighting of this bird look at this blog post.  Here is my photo of this little bird.

I had the opportunity to see a male Great Antshrike on the late afternoon of August 22, 2023.  Our Jeff Parker tour group was at the Ocelot viewing blind at Fazenda Santa Tereza waiting for the Ocelot to show up when this cute little bird decided to visit us, posing on one of the rails that the Ocelots are fed on.