Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Spotted Antbird (Hylophylax naevioides)Spotted Antbird

Costa Rica bird species · Antbirds, ovenbirds and woodcreepers

Antbirds, ovenbirds and woodcreepers in Costa Rica: all 66 species, and where to see them

66 species, 8 found only in this corner of the world, and not one of them a migrant.

Costa Rica's official list has 66 birds in this group, about one bird in every fourteen on it, in six families: the ovenbirds and woodcreepers, the antbirds, the antpittas, the antthrushes, and one family each for the Black-crowned Antpitta and for the tapaculos. Every one of the 66 is a resident: the list has no migrant and no accidental among them.

Eight of them are regional endemics, which means they live only in this small corner of the world: among them the Black-crowned Antpitta, the Silvery-fronted Tapaculo and the Ruddy Treerunner.

Every one of the 66 has its own page with a photo. Our hotspot tables name the group at Los Cusingos, in the San Isidro valley: the Slaty Spinetail, an ovenbird, in the thickets by the river, with Talari Mountain Lodge close by. The page gives you the full list and the status of each.

Where to see them

These are the 17 places where we name them, from our hotspot pages and each bird's own page.

Map of Costa Rica with the 17 places where we name antbirds, ovenbirds and woodcreepers, numbered, over the five birding zones
San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valleyTapantí National Park, above the Orosí valleyMonteverde Cloud Forest ReserveCaño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Río FríoLa Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíBraulio Carrillo National ParkCarara National ParkLos Cusingos and the San Isidro valleyWilson Botanical Garden and Las CrucesGolfito Wildlife Refuge
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
  • Place where we name them
  • Highlands
  • Caribbean Foothills
  • Caribbean Lowlands
  • Northern Pacific Lowlands
  • Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands
  1. 1San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valleyHighlandsScaly-throated Foliage-gleaner, Red-faced Spinetail
  2. 2Cerro de la Muerte and the km 70 lookoutsHighlandsSilvery-fronted Tapaculo
  3. 3Tapantí National Park, above the Orosí valleyHighlandsRufous-rumped Antwren, Slaty Antwren, Zeledon's Antbird, Scaled Antpitta, Ochre-breasted Antpitta, Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Streaked Xenops, Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, Spotted Barbtail
  4. 4Monteverde Cloud Forest ReserveHighlandsSlaty Antwren, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Gray-throated Leaftosser, Ruddy Woodcreeper, Lineated Foliage-gleaner
  5. 5Santa Elena Cloud Forest ReserveHighlandsBrown-billed Scythebill, Lineated Foliage-gleaner, Spotted Barbtail, Ruddy Treerunner
  6. 6Curi-Cancha Reserve, MonteverdeHighlandsSlaty Antwren, Gray-throated Leaftosser, Ruddy Woodcreeper
  7. 7Arenal Volcano National ParkCaribbean LowlandsBarred Antshrike, Bare-crowned Antbird, Thicket Antpitta, Northern Barred-Woodcreeper
  8. 8Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Río FríoCaribbean LowlandsBarred Antshrike
  9. 9La Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsFasciated Antshrike, Black-crowned Antshrike, Checker-throated Stipplethroat, Dull-mantled Antbird, Northern Barred-Woodcreeper, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner
  10. 10Braulio Carrillo National ParkCaribbean LowlandsWhite-flanked Antwren, Dull-mantled Antbird, Rufous-breasted Antthrush
  11. 11Tirimbina Biological Reserve, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsStreak-crowned Antvireo
  12. 12Rincón de la Vieja National ParkNorthern Pacific LowlandsIvory-billed Woodcreeper
  13. 13Santa Rosa and Guanacaste National ParksNorthern Pacific LowlandsIvory-billed Woodcreeper
  14. 14Carara National ParkCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsGreat Antshrike, Plain Antvireo, Dot-winged Antwren, Dusky Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Streak-chested Antpitta, Black-faced Antthrush, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Northern Barred-Woodcreeper, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Black-striped Woodcreeper, Streak-headed Woodcreeper
  15. 15Los Cusingos and the San Isidro valleyCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsSlaty Spinetail
  16. 16Wilson Botanical Garden and Las CrucesCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsPlain Antvireo, Ruddy Foliage-gleaner, Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner
  17. 17Golfito Wildlife RefugeCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsBlack-striped Woodcreeper

The 8 regional endemics

The ones you can only see in this part of the world.

Black-hooded Antshrike, Streak-crowned Antvireo, Black-crowned Antpitta, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner, Ruddy Treerunner.

All 66 antbirds, ovenbirds and woodcreepers on the list

The full group as Costa Rica's official list has it, in the list's own order. Tick them off on the printable checklist.

Names and status: AOCR Lista Oficial 2025-2026, June 2026 update.

Trips that find them

No trip on our packages pages names one of these birds yet, so there is no list here.

Is this bird on your list?

Tell us the birds you most want to see, your dates and how you like to travel, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary built around them. That first version is just a place to start.

Plan my birding trip

Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.

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