Thamnistes anabatinus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The russet antshrike (Thamnistes anabatinus) is a passerine bird in subfamily Myrmornithinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and possibly Peru.
The russet antshrike was described by the English ornithologists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin in 1860. They erected the genus Thamnistes to accommodate the species and coined the binomial name Thamnistes anabatinus. The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek anabatēs meaning "climber" or "mounter".
The taxonomy of the russet antshrike is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy assign it these six subspecies: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 11 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 12 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 14 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 17 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 18 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 19 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Russet Antshrike sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 1,929 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and September–October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Russet Antshrike in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March–August and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Russet Antshrike sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Russet Antshrike sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Thamnophilidae
The closest relatives of the Russet Antshrike that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Thamnophilidae, Typical Antbirds) are Spotted Antbird (about 20%), Dusky Antbird (about 10%) and Dull-mantled Antbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Russet Antshrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (1,929 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
