Giant Antshrike

SCI Name:  Batara cinerea
Protonym:  Tamnophilus cinereus Nouv.Dict.Hist.Nat. 35 p.200
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Thamnophilidae / Batara
Taxonomy Code:  giaant2
Type Locality:  Brazil, = Rio de Janeiro.
Author:  Vieillot
Publish Year:  1819
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

BATARA
(Thamnophilidae; Ϯ Giant Antshrike B. cinerea) Güaraní names Batará and Mbatará for various small black and white birds (cf. Tupí name Mbaratá for antbird); "Genre. BATARA; Batara, Azara, non Vieillot.  Tamnophilus, Angl.; Lanius, Mikan, Quoy et Gaimard.   Bec robuste, puissant, comprimé, resserré à la pointe, très-crochu, à mandibule inférieure très-renflée en dessous; narines creusées dans une fosse nasale profonde; commissure de la bouche sans poils; tarses alongés, robustes, scutellés. Queue longue, fortement étagée.  ...  Ce sont des oiseaux bien voisins des vangas par l'ensemble de leurs caractères; mais qui en différent par des modifications dans le bec et leurs tarses plus alongés. Ils sont du Brésil et du Paraguay.    1. BATARA RAYÉ; Batara striata: Lanius undulatus, Mikan, 1820, Delect. flor. et faun. bras.; Vanga striata, Quoy et Gaim., Ur., pl. 18 et 19; Tamnophilus Vigorsii, Suchs, Zool. Journ.   ...   2. BATARA OTHELLO; Batara Othello: Tamnophilus Othello, Less., Cent. zool., pl. 19; Tamnophilus niger, Suchs ??" (Lesson 1831); "Batara ² Lesson, Traité d'Orn., livr. 5, between Sept. 1830 and Feb. 1831, p. 347. Type, by subsequent designation, Thamn. undulatus Mikan = Lanius undulatus Mikan (G. R. Gray, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Bds., 1855, p. 61).   ...   ² Earlier writers refer to a Batara of Temminck ca. 1820; I have been unable to locate this name in Temminck's works of that period, nor is it listed in any of the standard "nomenclators."" (Peters, 1951, VII, p. 155).
Var. Balara.
Synon. Thamnarchus.

cinerea
L. cinereus  ash-grey, ash-coloured  < cinis, cineris  ashes.
● ex “Cinereous Creeper” of Latham 1781 (??syn. Anthobaphes violacea).
● "76. ARDEA.  ...  cinerea.  10. A. occipite crista pendula, dorso cærulescente, subtus albida, pectore maculis oblongis nigris.  Ardea crista dependente. Fn. svec. 133.  Ardea cinerea major. Aldr. orn. l. 20. c. 9. Gesn. av. 212. Jonst. av. 151. t. 50. Will. orn. 203. t. 49. Raj. av. 98. Mars. danub. 5. p. 8. t. 2. Alb. av. 1. p. 64. t. 67. & 3. p. . . t. 78.  Habitat in Europa; nidificant in arboribus plures simul." (Linnaeus 1758) (Ardea).
● ex “Cendrille” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Cinereous Lark” of Latham 1783 (Calandrella).
● ex “Tractrac” of Levaillant 1806, pl. 184, fig. 1 (syn. Cercomela tractrac).
● ex “Grand Gobe-mouche cendré de Madagascar” of Brisson 1760 (Coracina).
● ex “Cinereous Coot” of Latham 1785 (syn. Fulica americana).
● ex “Crested Gallinule” of Latham 1785 (Gallicrex).
● ex “Cotinga Cendré” of Levaillant 1801 (syn. Lipaugus vociferans).
● ex “Cinereous Finch” of Latham 1783, and Pennant 1785 (syn. Melospiza insignis).
● (Tunstall 1771) ex “Hoche-queue” or “Bergeronette jaune” of Brisson 1760, and “Gray Water Wagtail” of Pennant 1766 (Motacilla).
● (J. Gmelin 1789) ex “Motacilla cinerea” of Brisson 1760, “Bergeronnette grise” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 674, fig. 1, and de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Cinereous Wagtail” of Latham 1783 (syn. Motacilla cinerea).
● ex “Hirondelle du Pérou” of Brisson 1760, “Petite Hirondelle noire à ventre cendré” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Ash-bellied Swallow” of Latham 1783 (syn. Notiochelidon murina).
● ex "Pétrel cendré" of de Buffon 1770-1783, and "Cinereous Fulmar" of Latham 1785 (Procellaria).
● ex “Hirondelle de rivage” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 543, fig. 2 (syn. Riparia riparia).
● ex “Cinereous Owl” of Latham 1781, and “Sooty Owl” of Pennant 1785 (syn. Strix nebulosa).
● ex “Pie-griesche grise” of Brisson 1760, and “Pie-griêche grise de Cayenne” (= ♂) and “Pie-griêche tachetée de Cayenne” (= ♀) of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pll. 304, 377 (syn. Tityra cayana).
● ex “Lanius nengeta var. β” of J. Gmelin 1788, “Cotinga gris de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 699, and “Variété du Guirarou” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (?syn. Xipholena punicea).
● ex “Larus niger fidipes alter, alis brevioribus” of Ray 1713, “Sterna cinerea” of Brisson 1760, and “Cinereous Tern” of Latham 1785 (unident.).
● ex “Muscicapa cayennensis rufa” of Brisson 1760, and “Rufous-bellied Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

SUBSPECIES

Giant Antshrike (excubitor)
SCI Name: Batara cinerea excubitor
excubitor
L. excubitor, excubitoris  sentinel  < excubare  to keep watch  < cubare  to lie down.
● ex “Lanius cinereus major” of Aldrovandus 1599, and Willughby 1676, “Greater Butcher-bird” of Ray 1713, and “Ampelis cærulescens, alis caudaque nigricantibus” of Linnaeus 1746 (according to Linnaeus 1758, the Great Grey Shrike watches for the approach of hawks and warns other small birds (Swedish Varfågel watchbird). However, Newton & Gadow 1896, wrote, “L. excubitor, derives its trivial designation from the use made of it as a sentinel by falconers when catching wild Hawks”) (Lanius).

Giant Antshrike (argentina)
SCI Name: Batara cinerea argentina
argentina / argentinae / argentinus
● Mod. L. argentinus  of silver, silvery  < L. argentum, argenti  silver (cf. Roman myth. Argentinus, god of silver) (Columba).
● Mod. L. Argentinus  Argentinian, of Argentina (subsp. Batara cinerea, subsp. Chlorospingus flavopectus, subsp. Cyanoloxia brissonii, subsp. Empidonax euleri, Melanopareia, subsp. Muscisaxicola cinereus, subsp. Myiothlypis bivittata, subsp. Pitangus sulphuratus, syn. Thamnophilus ruficapillus cochabambae, syn. Xiphocolaptes albicollis, syn. Zonotrichia capensis hypoleuca).

Giant Antshrike (cinerea)
SCI Name: Batara cinerea cinerea
cinerea
L. cinereus  ash-grey, ash-coloured  < cinis, cineris  ashes.
● ex “Cinereous Creeper” of Latham 1781 (??syn. Anthobaphes violacea).
● "76. ARDEA.  ...  cinerea.  10. A. occipite crista pendula, dorso cærulescente, subtus albida, pectore maculis oblongis nigris.  Ardea crista dependente. Fn. svec. 133.  Ardea cinerea major. Aldr. orn. l. 20. c. 9. Gesn. av. 212. Jonst. av. 151. t. 50. Will. orn. 203. t. 49. Raj. av. 98. Mars. danub. 5. p. 8. t. 2. Alb. av. 1. p. 64. t. 67. & 3. p. . . t. 78.  Habitat in Europa; nidificant in arboribus plures simul." (Linnaeus 1758) (Ardea).
● ex “Cendrille” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Cinereous Lark” of Latham 1783 (Calandrella).
● ex “Tractrac” of Levaillant 1806, pl. 184, fig. 1 (syn. Cercomela tractrac).
● ex “Grand Gobe-mouche cendré de Madagascar” of Brisson 1760 (Coracina).
● ex “Cinereous Coot” of Latham 1785 (syn. Fulica americana).
● ex “Crested Gallinule” of Latham 1785 (Gallicrex).
● ex “Cotinga Cendré” of Levaillant 1801 (syn. Lipaugus vociferans).
● ex “Cinereous Finch” of Latham 1783, and Pennant 1785 (syn. Melospiza insignis).
● (Tunstall 1771) ex “Hoche-queue” or “Bergeronette jaune” of Brisson 1760, and “Gray Water Wagtail” of Pennant 1766 (Motacilla).
● (J. Gmelin 1789) ex “Motacilla cinerea” of Brisson 1760, “Bergeronnette grise” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 674, fig. 1, and de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Cinereous Wagtail” of Latham 1783 (syn. Motacilla cinerea).
● ex “Hirondelle du Pérou” of Brisson 1760, “Petite Hirondelle noire à ventre cendré” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Ash-bellied Swallow” of Latham 1783 (syn. Notiochelidon murina).
● ex "Pétrel cendré" of de Buffon 1770-1783, and "Cinereous Fulmar" of Latham 1785 (Procellaria).
● ex “Hirondelle de rivage” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 543, fig. 2 (syn. Riparia riparia).
● ex “Cinereous Owl” of Latham 1781, and “Sooty Owl” of Pennant 1785 (syn. Strix nebulosa).
● ex “Pie-griesche grise” of Brisson 1760, and “Pie-griêche grise de Cayenne” (= ♂) and “Pie-griêche tachetée de Cayenne” (= ♀) of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pll. 304, 377 (syn. Tityra cayana).
● ex “Lanius nengeta var. β” of J. Gmelin 1788, “Cotinga gris de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 699, and “Variété du Guirarou” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (?syn. Xipholena punicea).
● ex “Larus niger fidipes alter, alis brevioribus” of Ray 1713, “Sterna cinerea” of Brisson 1760, and “Cinereous Tern” of Latham 1785 (unident.).
● ex “Muscicapa cayennensis rufa” of Brisson 1760, and “Rufous-bellied Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (unident.).