White-throated Magpie-JayCosta Rica bird species · Wrens, thrushes, jays and other songbirds
Wrens, thrushes, jays and other songbirds in Costa Rica: all 71 species, and where to see them
71 species, 15 found only in this corner of the world, from the Clay-colored Thrush in the garden to the Wrenthrush on the ridge.
Costa Rica's official list has 71 birds in this group, about one bird in every thirteen on it, spread over eleven families: wrens and thrushes, but also swallows, jays, mockingbirds, gnatcatchers, silky-flycatchers and the dipper. Twenty-four of the 71 are wrens alone, by the family count.
Fifteen are regional endemics, which means they live only in this small corner of the world. Eight are wrens, and one is the Wrenthrush, which the official list gives a family of its own and which we place on the Cerro de la Muerte ridge, with the Timberline Wren in the bamboo.
The one you will meet first is plainer. The Clay-colored Thrush, the yigüirro, is a brown bird of yards and gardens, and in 1977 Costa Ricans chose it as a national symbol ahead of every macaw and toucan in the country. Up in the oaks of San Gerardo de Dota the Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher is the opposite: a slender grey and yellow bird that darts out from the treetop and snaps an insect out of the air.
Where to see them
These are the 26 places where we name them, from our hotspot pages and each bird's own page.
San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valleyThe Río Tuis valley, below Rancho NaturalistaCaño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Río FríoBraulio Carrillo National ParkTortuguero National Park and its canalsCarara National ParkHacienda Barú National Wildlife RefugeManuel Antonio National ParkGolfito Wildlife Refuge
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap- Place where we name them
- Highlands
- Caribbean Foothills
- Caribbean Lowlands
- Northern Pacific Lowlands
- Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands
- 1San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valleyHighlandsAmerican Dipper, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher
- 2Los Quetzales National ParkHighlandsTimberline Wren
- 3Cerro de la Muerte and the km 70 lookoutsHighlandsTimberline Wren, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcher, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Wrenthrush
- 4Tapantí National Park, above the Orosí valleyHighlandsAzure-hooded Jay, American Dipper, Black-faced Solitaire, Pale-vented Thrush
- 5Poás Volcano National Park and its slopesHighlandsSooty Thrush
- 6Monteverde Cloud Forest ReserveHighlandsAzure-hooded Jay, Rufous-and-white Wren, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
- 7Santa Elena Cloud Forest ReserveHighlandsGray-breasted Wood-Wren, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush
- 8The Río Tuis valley, below Rancho NaturalistaCaribbean FoothillsStripe-breasted Wren
- 9La Angostura lake and the Turrialba farmlandCaribbean FoothillsTropical Mockingbird
- 10Arenal Volcano National ParkCaribbean LowlandsBand-backed Wren, Black-throated Wren, Bay Wren, Song Wren, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, Pale-vented Thrush, White-throated Thrush
- 11Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Río FríoCaribbean LowlandsBay Wren
- 12Selva Verde, on the Sarapiquí RiverCaribbean LowlandsClay-colored Thrush
- 13La Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsBand-backed Wren, Stripe-breasted Wren
- 14Braulio Carrillo National ParkCaribbean LowlandsTawny-faced Gnatwren, Nightingale Wren, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, Pale-vented Thrush
- 15Tortuguero National Park and its canalsCaribbean LowlandsSouthern Rough-winged Swallow
- 16Tirimbina Biological Reserve, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsClay-colored Thrush
- 17Palo Verde National Park and the Tempisque RiverNorthern Pacific LowlandsWhite-throated Magpie-Jay
- 18Rincón de la Vieja National ParkNorthern Pacific LowlandsWhite-throated Magpie-Jay, Rock Wren, Banded Wren
- 19Santa Rosa and Guanacaste National ParksNorthern Pacific LowlandsWhite-throated Magpie-Jay, Banded Wren, Rufous-and-white Wren, Cabanis’s Wren
- 20Carara National ParkCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRufous-breasted Wren, Rufous-and-white Wren, Cabanis’s Wren, Riverside Wren
- 21The Tárcoles River mangroves, by boatCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsGray-breasted Martin
- 22Hacienda Barú National Wildlife RefugeCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRiverside Wren
- 23Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfo DulceCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRiverside Wren
- 24Manuel Antonio National ParkCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRiverside Wren
- 25Wilson Botanical Garden and Las CrucesCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsWhite-breasted Wood-Wren, Mountain Thrush, White-throated Thrush, Clay-colored Thrush
- 26Golfito Wildlife RefugeCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRiverside Wren
The 15 regional endemics
The ones you can only see in this part of the world.
Silvery-throated Jay, Ochraceous Wren, Timberline Wren, Black-bellied Wren, Black-throated Wren, Stripe-breasted Wren, Canebrake Wren, Isthmian Wren, Riverside Wren, Black-faced Solitaire, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Thrush, Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcher, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Wrenthrush.
All 71 wrens, thrushes, jays and other songbirds 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.
Silvery-throated JayCyanolyca argentigulaA rare blue jay of high oak forest, found only in Costa Rica and western Panama.
Azure-hooded JayCyanolyca cucullataSeen at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Tapantí National Park
White-throated Magpie-JayCyanocorax formosaSeen at Palo Verde National Park, Rincón de la Vieja, 1 more
Brown JayCyanocorax morioA big, noisy brown jay of gardens and pastures, known here as Piapia.
Black-chested JayCyanocorax affinisA large, shy jay of the far southeast Caribbean slope, found near Cahuita.
Bank SwallowRiparia ripariaSmall migrant swallow with a dark chest band, passing along both coasts.
Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolorGlossy blue-green above, pure white below: a swallow that visits from the north.
Mangrove SwallowTachycineta albilineaSmall green-and-white swallow skimming low over calm water.
Violet-green SwallowTachycineta thalassinaA rare winter swallow, shiny green above and white below, with white rump patches.
Purple MartinProgne subisA large glossy swallow passing through, best along the Caribbean coast.
Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybeaSeen at Tárcoles River Mangroves
Southern MartinProgne elegansA big, dark swallow that strays to Costa Rica only by accident.
Brown-chested MartinProgne taperaA rare southern migrant martin, dull brown above with a chest band.
Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennisA plain brown swallow skimming low over rivers and open country.
Southern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx ruficollisSeen at Tortuguero
Blue-and-white SwallowPygochelidon cyanoleucaTiny glossy swallow of wires, rooftops and highland farms, with a black undertail.
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaA glossy blue, scissor-tailed migrant that streams along both coasts.
Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonotaA square-tailed, chestnut-throated swallow streaming through on migration.
Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulvaAn accidental swallow with a cinnamon forehead and throat, seldom recorded here.
Tawny-faced GnatwrenMicrobates cinereiventrisSeen at Braulio Carrillo
Long-billed GnatwrenRamphocaenus melanurusA tiny brown bird with a long thin bill, a cocked tail and a trilling song.
White-browed GnatcatherPolioptila bilineataA tiny gray bird with a long black tail and a bold white eyebrow.
White-lored GnatcatcherPolioptila albilorisA tiny, restless gray and white gnatcatcher of Guanacaste's dry northwest
Rock WrenSalpinctes obsoletusSeen at Rincón de la Vieja
Nightingale WrenMicrocerculus philomelaSeen at Braulio Carrillo
Scaly-breasted WrenMicrocerculus marginatusA tiny forest-floor wren with a falling whistle, easy to hear and hard to see.
Southern House WrenTroglodytes musculusA tiny brown wren of gardens and pastures, common across Costa Rica
Ochraceous WrenTroglodytes ochraceusA tiny, bright highland wren that works through the moss on trunks and branches.
Timberline WrenThryorchilus browniSeen at Cerro de la Muerte, Los Quetzales National Park
Grass WrenCistothorus platensisA tiny, furtive, endangered wren of the wet grass fields near Cartago.
Band-backed WrenCampylorhynchus zonatusSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park, La Selva Biological Station
Rufous-backed WrenCampylorhynchus capistratusA large, loud, sociable wren of dry northwest scrub and gardens.
Black-bellied WrenPheugopedius fasciatoventrisA chestnut wren that duets from tangles in the southern Pacific lowlands
Rufous-breasted WrenPheugopedius rutilusSeen at Carara National Park
Spot-breasted WrenPheugopedius maculipectusA spotted, whistling wren of the far northern lowland tangles.
Black-throated WrenPheugopedius atrogularisSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park
Banded WrenThryophilus pleurostictusSeen at Rincón de la Vieja, Santa Rosa National Park
Rufous-and-white WrenThryophilus rufalbusSeen at Carara National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, 1 more
Stripe-breasted WrenCantorchilus thoracicusSeen at La Selva Biological Station, Río Tuis Valley
Cabanis’s WrenCantorchilus modestusSeen at Carara National Park, Santa Rosa National Park
Canebrake WrenCantorchilus zeledoniA Caribbean lowland wren whose pairs duet so tightly they sound like one bird.
Isthmian WrenCantorchilus elutusA small, plain wren of the southern Pacific slope, best found by its whistled song.
Riverside WrenCantorchilus semibadiusSeen at Carara National Park, Golfito Wildlife Refuge, 3 more
Bay WrenCantorchilus nigricapillusSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park, Caño Negro
White-breasted Wood-WrenHenicorhina leucostictaSeen at Wilson Botanical Garden
Gray-breasted Wood-WrenHenicorhina leucophrysSeen at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Song WrenCyphorhinus phaeocephalusSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park
American DipperCinclus mexicanusSeen at San Gerardo de Dota, Tapantí National Park
Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensisA slate-gray skulker that mews from Caribbean thickets all winter.
Tropical MockingbirdMimus gilvusSeen at La Angostura Lake
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosA grey mimic with white wing flashes, coded A on Costa Rica's official list.
Black-faced SolitaireMyadestes melanopsSeen at Tapantí National Park
Black-billed Nightingale-ThrushCatharus gracilirostrisSeen at Cerro de la Muerte
Orange-billed Nightingale-ThrushCatharus aurantiirostrisOrange bill and legs, a dry song from thick scrub, common in coffee country.
Slaty-backed Nightingale-ThrushCatharus fuscaterSeen at Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Ruddy-capped Nightingale-ThrushCatharus frantziiA shy, rusty-crowned thrush of the highland forest floor, heard long before it is seen.
Black-headed Nightingale-ThrushCatharus mexicanusSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park, Braulio Carrillo
VeeryCatharus fuscescensA cinnamon thrush that passes through Costa Rica on fall migration
Gray-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimusA shy autumn migrant, easier to hear overhead at night than to see.
Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatusA shy, spectacled migrant thrush that skulks low in shaded forest.
Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelinaA spotted, rufous winter thrush of wet forest floors and edges
Sooty ThrushTurdus nigrescensSeen at Poás Volcano
Mountain ThrushTurdus plebejusSeen at Wilson Botanical Garden
Pale-vented ThrushTurdus obsoletusSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park, Braulio Carrillo, 1 more
White-throated ThrushTurdus assimilisSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park, Wilson Botanical Garden
Clay-colored ThrushTurdus grayiSeen at Selva Verde, Tirimbina, 1 more
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumSleek, crested winter visitor, in big numbers only every 3 or 4 years
Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcherPhainoptila melanoxanthaSeen at Cerro de la Muerte
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcherPtiliogonys caudatusSeen at Cerro de la Muerte, San Gerardo de Dota
American PipitAnthus rubescensA very rare winter visitor that walks and wags its tail on open ground
WrenthrushZeledonia coronataSeen at Cerro de la Muerte
Names and status: AOCR Lista Oficial 2025-2026, June 2026 update.
Trips that find them
These trips name at least one of these birds on the way, most often the White-throated Magpie-Jay of the dry forest or the Riverside Wren of the south Pacific.
- Dry Forest and the Gulf of NicoyaSee the itinerary
- Carara, the Osa and the QuetzalSee the itinerary
- The Grand Birding CircuitSee the itinerary
- Coast to Coast Birding, Tortuguero to the OsaSee the itinerary
- Costa Rica Classic Birding, All InclusiveSee the itinerary
- Birding in Costa Rica's Northern ZoneSee the itinerary
- Birding in Costa Rica's Nicoya PeninsulaSee the itinerary
- The Deep South: Quetzals, San Vito and the Golfo DulceSee the itinerary
- Northern Volcanoes and WetlandsSee the itinerary
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.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.