The great antshrike (Taraba major) is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds".

[3][4] The great antshrike was described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 and given the binomial name Thamnophilus major.

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.

[4] The great antshrike inhabits a wide range of semi-humid to humid tropical zone landscapes, favoring in most of them areas of dense understorey vegetation.

The exception to these general habitats is subspecies T. m. stagurus, which occurs in deciduous forest and taller parts of the caatinga.

[9][3][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The great antshrike is presumed to be a year-round resident in most of its range though some seasonal movements are suspected in Argentina.

[9][15]/[16][17][18] The great antshrike's breeding season varies geographically, spanning April to July in Costa Rica, March to July in Trinidad, January to June in Suriname, January to April in northeastern Brazil, and October to December in Argentina.

The eggs' color and pattern vary geographically though generally they have a creamy white to pale buff base.

It has an extremely large range and an estimated population of at least five million mature individuals, though the latter is believed to be decreasing.

Except for subspecies T. m. stagurus its "preference for a variety of edge and second-growth habitats makes it a low-sensitivity species".