Costa Rica Birds & Birding

@ Galeria de Colibrí y Soda Cinchona, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Celebrating "La Pura Vida"

Costa Rica's national motto and tourism slogan, "La Pura Vida" loosely translates to Enjoy Life. With such a vast diversity of bird species recorded here, there is certainly lots to enjoy!

Below are some of my most recent blog posts from my Reflexions of the Natural World PURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING Series.

Pura Vida Birds and Birding – Collared PloverPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING Collared Plover is a common tropical and subtropical shorebird distributed broadly from Mexico south into the northern half of South America.

Pura Vida Birds and Birding – Northern JacanaPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Northern Jacana is a medium-sized wading bird with long legs and toes that are well-suited for walking on floating vegetation.

Pura Vida Birds and Birding – Double-striped Thick-kneePURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Double-striped Thick-knee is a medium-large wader with a strong black and yellow bill, large yellow eyes, which give it a reptilian appearance, and cryptic plumage.

Pura Vida Birds and Birding – Southern LapwingPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING A large, crested lapwing, the Southern Lapwing has gray brown upperparts with a bronze sheen, a black breast band that extends up to the bird’s forehead, wing spurs, and…

Coppery-headed EmeraldPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING Coppery-headed Emeralds have a decurved bill and white outer tail feathers with black near the tip.

SnowcapPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING Snowcap is a spectacular, tiny hummingbird of Central American cloud forests.

Crowned WoodnymphPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The adult male Crowned Woodnymph has a violet crown, upper back, shoulders and belly, a shiny green throat and breast, green lower back, and a deeply forked blue-black t…

Bronze-tailed PlumeleteerPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer is a widespread but uncommon hummingbird and is often identified by its pink feet and pinkish lower mandible.

Violet SabrewingPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Violet Sabrewing is the largest species of hummingbird in Middle America.

Violet-headed HummingbirdPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Violet-headed Hummingbird is a diminutive resident of a variety of humid forests from Honduras and Venezuela south to Bolivia and has a very patchy distribution.

Garden EmeraldPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Garden Emerald is a small hummingbird with limited range.

Scintillant HummingbirdPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Scintillant Hummingbird is among the smallest of hummingbirds, and is the smallest within its range of the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and western Panama.

Volcano HummingbirdPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Volcano Hummingbird is restricted to the Costa Rica and Panama Highlands Endemic Bird Area

Fiery-throated HummingbirdPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The Fiery-throated Hummingbird is the sole member of the genus Panterpe and is endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama.

White-throated Mountain-gemPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The White-throated Mountain-gem is endemic to the highlands of southern Central America.

White-bellied Mountain-gemPURA VIDA BIRDS AND BIRDING The White-bellied Mountain-Gem is distinguished by its white stripe behind the eye, white underparts, and bronzy tail.

Why should you go birding in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is a bird-watching haven, boasting over 900 species in an area the size of West Virginia, surpassing the bird counts of the United States and Canada combined. With 12 of the world’s 18 life zones, its diverse landscapes, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas, provide habitat for a wide range of iconic birds. The nation’s varied ecosystems, from the Nicoya Peninsula’s dry tropics to the Caribbean Coast’s humid lowlands, offer unparalleled bird-watching prospects.

What causes such diversity in Costa Rica's Bird Populations?

While some of Costa Rica's resident species are widespread, most are restricted to specific zones with certain vegetation, rainfall and temparature requirements. Costa Rica is home to 12 life zones and 12 transition zones, classified by the Holdridge Life Zone System. The life zones are named according to the latitudinal belt (in Costa Rica they are all tropical forests), humidity (in Costa Rica: dry, moist, wet, rain) and the elevational belt (lowlands 0-500 m, premontane, lower montane, montane, subalpine). With such a vast array of different life zones within such close proximity, one can quickly transition to new sets of bird species within a short amount of time. It is not uncommon for birders to log over 100 uniques species in a day of birdwatching.

Purpose of this Website

It is this author's goal to familiarize nature enthusiatists with the birds that can be enjoyed in this natural wonderland called Costa Rica. From the ubiquitous Clay-colored Thrush to the endemic Mangrove Hummingbird, birders never lack for new species to enjoy.

Where to go birding in Costa Rica? What Life Zones can be found in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is home to 12 life zones and 12 transition zones, classified by the Holdridge Life Zone System. The life zones are named according to the latitudinal belt (in Costa Rica they are all tropical forests), humidity (in Costa Rica: dry, moist, wet, rain) and the elevational belt (lowlands 0-500 m, premontane, lower montane, montane, subalpine). With such a vast array of different life zones within such close proximity, one can quickly transition to new sets of bird species within a short amount of time.

What bird species can be found in Costa Rica?

With 600+ resident bird species and over 300 migratory species, Costa Rica is a bird-watching haven boasting species like toucans, scarlet macaws, over 50 species of hummingbirds, and the Resplendant Quetzal. In an area the size of West Virginia, it surpasses the bird counts of the United States and Canada combined.

A true paradise for bird enthusiasts, Costa Rica stands out as one of the greatest destinations for birdwatchers:

Costa Rica's national motto and tourism slogan, "La Pura Vida" loosely translates to Enjoy Life. With over 900 bird species recorded here, there is certainly lots to enjoy!
Few places can boast having so many bird species within an area roughly the size of West Virginia!
The country’s 12 different life zones provide a huge range of climates, and its volcanoes and rolling hills add to the species variety.

The country’s varied landscapes, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas, provide a habitat for a wide range of birds, from brightly-colored toucans and parrots to majestic eagles and exotic hummingbirds.

*Some of this website's species' photos (all taken by me) may have been taken in other nearby countries.

Locations Visited in Costa Rica

MIDDLE AMERICA