For such a small country, Costa Rica is remarkably rich in birds, with around 900 species in some 82 families. Its warm, varied climate and range of habitats suit both resident and migratory birds, which makes it one of the world’s top birding destinations. Here are ten of the best-known species you can see there year-round.
1. Resplendent quetzal
The resplendent quetzal is one of Costa Rica’s most striking birds, and one of about ten trogon species in the country. The male is the more colourful, with an emerald back, a deep-red front and long tail streamers up to about 75 cm.
It is a cloud-forest bird, so your best chances are in the central highlands; the Talamanca cloud forest is a classic spot. Wild avocados are among its favourite foods.
2. Toucans
Toucans are easily known by their big bills. Six species occur in Costa Rica, including the keel-billed and yellow-throated (black-mandibled) toucans and the emerald and yellow-eared toucanets. The keel-billed, with its rainbow bill, is the most commonly seen.
The bill is as useful as it is showy, helping them pick fruit; they also take insects, eggs and small reptiles. Look for keel-billed toucans at Monteverde, Tortuguero and La Selva.
3. Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are everywhere in Costa Rica, with more than 50 species in a great range of colours and sizes.
Their whirring wings and iridescent colours catch everyone’s eye. Species to look for include the black-crested coquette, fiery-throated hummingbird, coppery-headed emerald and long-billed hermit. Their metabolism is so high they must feed all day, visiting hundreds of flowers and taking small insects too. Selvatura Park has a hummingbird garden, and you can watch them at feeders at places like La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
4. Kingfishers
Six kingfisher species occur in the Americas, and all six are found in Costa Rica. Three, the Amazon, ringed and green kingfishers, are often seen along the Tortuguero river, while Tarcoles and Carara are good spots too.
Kingfishers have large heads, sharp bills, short legs and stubby tails, and bright plumage. In several species the female is more colourful. They eat fish, insects, small reptiles and amphibians, and favour cool, damp lowland freshwater and estuaries. You can see them throughout the country’s national parks.
5. King vulture
Costa Rica has four New World vultures, among them the king vulture, one of the largest. It is not a conventionally handsome bird, but its bright colours help signal to others of its kind.
An adult has mostly white plumage with a faint rosy tinge; young birds are slate grey. It has broad wings and a short, square tail, and a striking bare head in orange, blue, white and yellow. The bare head and neck are an adaptation to feeding on carrion, keeping it cleaner. As a scavenger, it plays an important role in the ecosystem. It is a solitary bird of tropical lowland forest.
6. Tanagers
Tanagers are among the most familiar birds here, with around 50 species in the country, and their bright colours make them favourites with photographers.
Common ones include Cherrie’s tanager and the blue-grey tanager. Most eat fruit and berries. The blue-grey tanager is one of the most adaptable, found from the lowlands to middle elevations. You don’t need a reserve to see tanagers: they turn up in town parks and gardens across the country.
7. Honeycreepers
Three honeycreepers occur in Costa Rica: the green, red-legged and shining honeycreepers, all quite different in colour. They are small, some with a down-curved bill, and the males are the brighter.
They live in rainforest and around fruiting trees in the lowlands and foothills, eating nectar, fruit, seeds and insects. Sarapiqui is one of the best places to see them.
8. Owls
Costa Rica has 16 owl species. The commoner ones include the crested, spectacled, striped, black-and-white and mottled owls, and the Costa Rican pygmy owl.
Some are found only in the highlands, above about 2,000 metres. Owls are nocturnal and among the best night hunters, taking small mammals such as mice and voles, along with frogs, lizards and other birds.
9. Aracaris
Aracaris are medium-sized toucans of the genus Pteroglossus, with bright plumage and boldly patterned bills. Costa Rica has the fiery-billed and collared aracaris, among the most colourful of the toucan family.
Both have a large bill, a slim medium body, a long tail and short, rounded wings. The band across the belly tells them apart: the collared aracari is mostly black, while the fiery-billed has a red band. The collared lives in Caribbean lowland and premontane forest; the fiery-billed favours similar forest but ranges up to about 1,500 metres.
10. Motmots
Six motmots live in Costa Rica: the blue-crowned, broad-billed, rufous, keel-billed, turquoise-browned and tody motmots. Most have bright feathers and the family’s signature racquet-tipped tails, the tody motmot being the exception, and the blue-crowned is the most often seen.
They stand out for their colourful heads and bodies and long tails. The blue-crowned motmot is found at Santa Rosa and Carara, while other motmots keep to the forest interior and edges. They eat fruit and small insects such as crickets and earthworms.
These are just some of Costa Rica’s best-known birds; many others are just as colourful. For a birder, it is one of the most rewarding countries anywhere.
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