Black-striped Woodcreeper

How to find it

Look in humid lowland forest, mostly up in the canopy, for a bold, blackish and white scaled bird. Listen as much as you look: on a guided morning at Carara it was only heard while five other woodcreepers were seen. Check forest edges, gaps and older secondary forest, and follow mixed flocks, which it often joins. Tour groups have had good views along a trail at Carara National Park in late January to early February. Birders have also met it along the road between La Gamba and Golfito, near the Osa Peninsula.

How to recognise it

This is a medium-sized woodcreeper, about 21.5 to 25 cm long. Males and females look alike. Look for these marks:

- Bill: fairly long and nearly straight, drooping slightly at the tip.

- Head, back and underparts: dark, with buff streaks and teardrop spots.

- Throat: buff.

- Lower back, rump, wings and tail: rich rufous or cinnamon.

A photo identifier in Costa Rica noted that no other woodcreeper here combines deep chestnut wings with a dark back marked by white spots. A Costa Rican guide describes the overall look as bold, blackish and white scaled.

What it sounds like

Recording: Dan MacNeal, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

It often feeds higher on trunks and limbs than related woodcreepers, which helps explain why it is a challenge to see. It frequently joins mixed flocks of songbirds, so a passing wave of forest birds is worth scanning for a streaky climber on a high trunk.

It nests in a cavity in a tree or palm, lined with wood and bark chips. In Costa Rica it breeds from March to June.

Where it lives

This is mostly a bird of humid lowland evergreen forest. It is regular at forest edges, in gaps and in older secondary forest, and in some areas it uses mangroves.

It mostly ranges from sea level to about 1,000 m, but in Costa Rica it reaches about 1,200 m. A Costa Rican guide notes it is much less common in foothill forest. Recordings come from Sarapiqui (280 m), San Carlos (550 m) and the Corcovado and Piedras Blancas area in the southwest (about 100 to 155 m).

Similar birds

The Black-banded Woodcreeper, a rare mid-elevation bird, also has streaked upperparts. It has a banded belly and a strong, straight blackish bill, and it stays in the understory, while the Black-striped is a lowland canopy bird. Elsewhere in its range it is the only woodcreeper with heavily streaked upperparts and underparts. If in doubt, listen for its call.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The Costa Rican bird list gives the Spanish name Trepador Pinto, with the nickname Relinchero in brackets. Other Spanish names used elsewhere include Trepatroncos Lacrimoso and Trepatronco Pinto. The species name lachrymosus comes from Latin and means tearful or weeping, a nod to the teardrop-like streaks on the bird.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rica bird list treats it as a resident (R) species, and it is rated Least Concern, with Spanish-language sources calling it fairly common in humid forest and forest edges.

Photography tips

Its high perch makes it a challenge, so listen for the laughing call and scan the upper trunks and limbs of lowland forest. Mixed flocks and forest edges give the best chance of an open view.