About Mackenziaena severa (Lichtenstein, 1823)
The tufted antshrike (Mackenziaena severa) is a large dark antbird, measuring 20 to 23 cm (7.9 to 9.1 in) long and weighing 50 to 80 g (1.8 to 2.8 oz). The species shows significant sexual dimorphism. However, both sexes share a usually flattened crest, red irises, and a moderately long black bill that ends in a hook similar to that of true shrikes. Adult males are mostly sooty gray, with a blackish forehead and crest, and brownish black wings. Adult females are mostly blackish brown; they have rufous foreheads and crests, cinnamon bars on their upperparts, faint paler bars on their tails, and pale buff bars on their underparts. Subadult males resemble adult males but are more brownish across their whole body. The tufted antshrike is distributed in Brazil, from southeastern Bahia and east-central Minas Gerais south to Rio Grande do Sul, and extends through eastern Paraguay into Misiones Province in northeastern Argentina. It is a bird native to the Atlantic Forest, and lives in the understorey to mid-storey of evergreen forest and secondary forest in lowlands and foothills. It prefers areas with dense vine tangles, thickets, and bamboo stands. It can also be found in patches of heavily degraded forest, as well as overgrown banana and Eucalyptus plantations and orchards that host dense bamboo stands. Its elevation range extends from sea level up to 1,400 m (4,600 ft).
