Thamnistes anabatinus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, based on 291 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 189th most-seen of the 505 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–July and December–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Russet Antshrike in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and August–November, 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.
Among the best
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Russet Antshrike sightings, Braulio Carrillo National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Thamnophilidae
The closest relatives of the Russet Antshrike that you can see in Braulio Carrillo National Park (family Thamnophilidae, Typical Antbirds) are Chestnut-backed Antbird (about 10%), Spotted Antbird (about 10%) and Western Slaty-Antshrike (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 Braulio Carrillo National Park (291 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.
