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Birding Costa Rica

Cold Front Birding in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is decidedly tropical. Ain’t no winter going on here and yet, recently, ice and snow touched the high parts of this birdy nation. Not exactly flurries, no playing snow king of the mountain in plowed parking lots or scraping windshields but, there was some freezing weather in certain parts places. Those would be uplifted and volcanic grown spots like 12,000 foot Chirripo Mountain and 11,000 foot Irazu Volcano.

Yeah, that infamous polar vortex up north stretched its icy fingers into Central America and I won’t be shaking its subzero hand. I’ll take a pass on birding those cold places for the moment, will at least wait until Irazu gets back to its 50 and 60 degree temps before I do any Unspotted Saw-whet Owl searching.

That’s way up in the highest parts of Costa Rica but what about the rest of the country? Can you still go birding? Of course you can! The birds aren’t going anywhere, here’s what else this and similar cold fronts bring and what to expect for birding.

Dry season? Umm…not exactly

Cold fronts like these long freezing fingers are a reminder that the “dry season” refers to the Pacific slope. In the mountains and on the other side of the country, the part where rivers flow to the Caribbean, you’ll need your umbrella. You might also need a poncho and rubber boots and a whole lot of dessicant packets for your optics because, on the Caribbean side, a cold front is a wet front.

Yes, the temps drop a bit and that is some nice respite from heat and humidity but, it’ll rain, and probably a lot. Don’t expect predictable rain either, more like annoying, light misting rain that morphs into serious heavy downpouts before eventually going back to light rain again and so on.

We’re talking wet birding but, we’re not talking no birding. Find shelter and watch from there, keep watching and waiting for the rain to slow or stop. When that happens, bird activity will jump, be ready for a wealth of avian moves.

At least wet weather sometimes encourages Sunbitterns to forage in the open!

Road closures

One unwanted side effect of heavy rains are road closures. They usually happen in mountainous areas and might not occur at all but you’d be wise to keep checking Waze. That especially goes for any travel on Route 32. The heavy rains and steep slopes on this important highway make it the road mostly likely to be closed, at least during serious cold fronts.

Other roads can close too, and some minor ones might even flood. Just be aware of where you are going, alternate routes, and not driving through flooded areas and you’ll be fine.

On a related note, the main road to Poas seems to be closed. A bridge is being replaced and might not be ready for another month or two. Hopefully, there will be a temporary bridge in place but I’m not sure of the current situation.

Windy weather

The other side effect of a cold front in Costa Rica is the wind. I’m happy to say that the wind has calmed down for the moment, hopefully it will still stay that way. When the cold front hits, it throws a constant blast of windy weather into the Central Valley and Guanacaste.

The birding becomes very challenging because the birds don’t want to deal with that wind any more than we do. To see them, you’ll have to find sheltered spots and wait for the wind to die down.

Odd birds? Any country firsts?

One exciting possibility of a cold front is it bringing some poor, lost birds to the playing field. Maybe, maybe not but given the unusual and severe push of cold weather from the north, I think it’s worth looking for them.

I would guess that the cold front might bring some ducks, gulls, or other waterbirds to Costa Rica. Other species to watch for are sparrows and other songbirds that typically winter further north. Those and wanderers like waxwings.

It will be interesting to see what local birders find these days! I’ll be looking too. If you happen to see some crazy sparrow or other odd looking bird, please eBird or Facebook it or do whatever it takes to get the word out.

Altitudinal migration

Male White-ruffed Manakin.

Most of all, this is how cold fronts affect birds in Costa Rica. Various species, especially frugivores, tend to migrate to lower elevations. Don’t be surprised if you see typical middle elevation birds like Silver-throated Tanagers way down in the lowlands at La Selva. There might also be White-ruffed Manakins, Black-faced Solitaires, and Black-thighed Grosbeaks.

Other birds are possible too, even things like Yellow-eared Toucanet or rare Lovely Cotingas. Keep those birds in mind when birding foothill and lowland sites right now!

Although I don’t look forward to birding in any rain, I am psyched about birding in lower elevations and looking for rarities. This cold front has got to have several birds on the move!

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A Day of Birding near Carara, Costa Rica- Updates and Tips

Going birding around Carara National Park, Costa Rica? If so, good choice, a birder can’t go wrong with such a mega meeting of biodiversity. Too much for one day but you can still try, the constant new bunch of birds can keep you going, keep you seeing more birds until you can’t see no more. Of course you don’t have to throw all your birding eggs into a one day basket; not an ideal choice for any area with more than 100 possibilities and far from the best option for birding areas with species lists that run into the hundreds.

However, if you only have one full day to work with or, one day and morning, what are you gonna do? Throw up those birding hands and sip creative cocktails? Heck no, if you got the energy, what you do is bird as much as you can and then celebrate with post birding cold beers or cocktails or wild and crazy kombucha. Don’t do yourself in, pace yourself but, you might as well keep on birding, at least in places where hundreds of lifers are waiting.

Carara National Park and surroundings is one such “place”. This major ecotone blends so many bird rich habitats, you’d be much better off patiently birding the zone for 3 or 4 days. One day is a lot, one day can be a major challenge, especially if you go for humid forest birds in the morning and dry forest birds in the afternoon.

I did that yesterday with a few guys from Toledo. The weather cooperated, I forgot to put on sunblock and it was a marathon day of birding in Costa Rica but it all worked out. After birding two main routes from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., we finished with more than 150 species. Yeah, some of those were heard onlys but lots more were seen including such niceties as King Vulture, Black Hawk-Eagle, Crane Hawk, Double-striped Thick-Knee, Mangrove Cuckoo, Velvety Manakin, Riverside Wren, Golden-naped Woodpecker, etc., etc.

It’s pretty birdy up in the Carara area, if you plan on checking it out, aside from suggesting working in at least 3 days for the area, here’s some other updates and tips.

Road Work on the Tarcoles Bridge

Roadwork on the famous “Crocodile Bridge” continues and won’t end at least until May. It is open but the new speed bumps can cause some traffic jams both ways and, traffic jams will be worse during one lane closures. These will take place as so:

-Feb. 23 to March 27

-May 4 to May 9

-Closed at night from 9 PM to 5 AM on yet to be determined dates from March 15 to April 20.

During roadwork, crocodile viewing is also prohibited from the bridge but, I’m not sure how much that will be enforced. However, if you still want to see crocs, don’t frown yet! There are plenty of boat trips for close looks and a brand new thingee has also just opened at the bridge. It’s called the Croc Skywalk and looks like it will eventually offer crocodile viewing along with other tourist activities. As I drove past, I saw a whole bunch of buses and people there yesterday. I look forward to checking it from a birding perspective and including it in the next update for my Costa Rica birding site guide.

Start the Bijagual Road Back as Far as You Can Go (use 4 wheel drive)

Carara isn’t just the national park. There’s also several other birding options including the Bijagual Road. This great birdy route starts near the coast and then makes its way into the hills adjacent to and in back of the national park. Follow Route 320 long enough to Route 319 and you’ll even access the very little birded but excellent eastern part of Carara. You’ll need a four wheel drive and that might not be good enough for the furthest stretches of route 319 but it will be exciting!

At the least, if you do spend some time on this road, I suggest driving back on it pre-dawn so you can start the birding near El Sur. This is a bit past the turn off to Macaw Lodge and gets you way back into the wild and least accessed part of Carara. As I was saying, past El Sur, road conditions might be impossible for a 4 wheel drive but it will still be worth starting way back in there. You can look for various owls and other nocturnal birds en route and will be in the right place at dawn.

Try to bird the road past El Sur but, if not, it would still be worth checking roadside forest near the turn off for Macaw Lodge and on other parts of the road. The combination of mature rainforest, second growth, canopy views, and some open fields is a good recipe for a very birdy, high total morning.

It’s the best area around Carara for Black Hawk-Eagle (although we got one soaring high over the Pura Vida gardens), has birds not generally found in the park like Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Thick-billed Euphonia, and even occasional Streaked Saltator and White-lined Tanager. Other weird stuff could also occur, maybe even Tiny Hawk and there should be chances at the rare Turquoise Cotinga.

You’ll still need four wheel drive to get to the Macaw Lodge area and El Sur but it will be worth it.

Hummingbirds?

We had a good, long day with lots of birds but, I can’t help but mention one downside and it’s a reoccurring one; the lack of hummingbirds. Yes, they are still out there but not nearly in the numbers they used to be and it is disturbing to say the least. And no, it’s not just a lack of flowers or that they are all somewhere else. There are fewer hummingbirds overall. For example, some ten years ago or even less, any trip to Carara National Park or nearby would easily result in a dozen species (and several of each species). Yesterday, in humid forest, I only had Rufous-taileds and maybe a couple other species on the Bijagual Road.

Sadly, this appears to be the new normal for humid forest habitats in several parts of Costa Rica and must be a consequence of climate change having disrupted flowering and insect productivity. So far, those hummingbirds are still out there and can be found, but it’s not the easy, expected task it used to be. Imagine suddenly seeing one tenth of the hummingbirds you used to at feeders and flowering gardens and you’ll get the picture.

Eyes on the Sky for Raptors

When birding anywhere around Carara, it’s worth to keep checking the sky. Several raptors occur in the area and the Bijagual/Macaw Lodge area is an excellent area to watch for them. The hilly topography makes it possible to scope the canopy for perched raptors and there’s plenty of sky to scan for birds in flight.

On our morning visit, we didn’t have too many raptors but, I bet more dedicated raptor viewing would turn up more. On the Bijagual Road, we had:

-A couple of Broad-winged Hawks

-One calling Gray Hawk

-One or two Roadsides

-Both caracaras

-Calling Laughing Falcon

-Black Hawk-Eagle

-Double-toothed Kite

-King Vulture and the other two vultures

In dry forest on the Guacimo Road, we also had excellent views of a Crane Hawk and a Common Black Hawk.

Bajamar Mangroves were Frighteningly Dry

While birding the Guacimo Road, I was eager to get back to the mangroves at Bajamar. On past visits, whistling like a pygmy-0wl was an easy way to bring in mangrove specialties like Panama Flycatcher and Mangrove Hummingbird and with various other species.

Not this time. I was surprised to see that hardly any mangrove birds responded. I also noticed that the mangrove forest floor was uncharacteristically dry. It should have been muddy and buggy but, instead, it looked like the water hadn’t reached there for a while. Nearby lagoons had water but nothing seemed to be reaching the mangroves, I can’t help but wonder if that explained those bird’s absence.

With that in mind, you’ll need to get in your mangrove birding at other spots (like Tarcoles or elsewhere).

As always, after coming back from birding such high biodiversity sites in Costa Rica, I can’t wait to go back. I go home with all sorts of questions and the only means of answering them is going right back there and birding again. How many owls are out there? Potoos? Wintering nightjars? Cotingas and other uncommon species? No matter how often you go birding in Costa Rica, there’s always lots more to see. I hope you get the chance to experience it.

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A Reminder to see These Birds in Costa Rica

Who doesn't want to see a Snowcap?

Going birding in Costa Rica? I know, like you need a reminder to see birds! You’re gonna be looking for them, you’re gonna be seeing them, and you’ll be celebrating a fine cornucopia of lifers, photos, and priceless experiences. However, this being the high season, I figured it might be useful to mention a certain set of species, a group of avian taxa worth your while.

Yes, all birds are worth your while, all birds merit connection and you watch whatever floats your personal birding boat but, you might not be so aware of the importance of the birds I’m going to cover. If so, great! If not, check this out:

Streak-chested Antpitta on the Caribbean slope

If you see a Streak-chested Antpitta in Costa Rica, there’s a good chance it’s going to be on the Pacific slope, probably at Carara. That’s great, I hope you see one or more and I wouldn’t wish you otherwise. However, if you can, it’s also worth laying eyes on Streak-chested Antpitta from the other side of the mountains.

You see, that bird is not exactly the same as the ones from Carara or Panama or further south. It’s also just enough not exactly the same to be considered a separate species. Nope, no official study yet but, based on the same number of differences used to separate related species of antpittas, those Caribbean slope birds should be given species status too.

I’m pretty sure the Birds of Costa Rica by Dyer and Howell mention this along with several other likely splits. They don’t mention exactly where to see it but that’s not really the scope of a field guide anyways. It needs large areas of mature rainforest and one of the best sites is Quebrada Gonzalez. Although I haven’t had as many there as I used to, it still occurs.

Sharpbill

Like the antpitta mentioned above, this species also has disjunct populations in need of detailed studies. They don’t live near each other, sound different, and look different so, there might be 3 or 4 species involved.

If you saw one of those more common and easy ones in Brazil, I’m sorry but it’s probably not the same species. If splits eventually happen, the subspecies in Costa Rica and Panama will very likely be elevated to species status (and I’n guessing probably subsequently red-listed as Vulnerable).

Watch for this special bird in mixed flocks and fruiting trees in foothills and middle elevations, especially at Skytrek, the San Gerardo Station at Monteverde, and Tapanti.

Elegant Trogon

It’s worth seeing this bird because those Arizona and Mexican trogons were split from it. Yep, if you saw one from Cave Creek or wherever, that is currently known as a Coppery-tailed Trogon.

To see Elegant Trogons in Costa Rica, watch for them in dry forest on the Nicoya Peninsula and in Guanacaste. Rincon de la Vieja is a good spot as is Santa Rosa National Park.

Paint-billed Crake

I mention this cool looking little gallinulish bird because it seems to be more common in Costa Rica than previously believed. Nope, not exactly common and it moves around but, you go to the right place and do the work, you have a fair chance of seeing one.

Try wet rice fields just about anywhere but especially in the Ciudad Neily area. They can also occur in dense vegetation along ditches and other odd wet spots.

Ruddy Pigeon

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This one’s a bit debatable but, I think it’s still worth mentioning. Although the Ruddy Pigeon has an official big range in South America, most of those birds live in the steamy lowlands. So what are they doing in cloud forests and high elevations in Costa Rica and Panama?

Exactly, how come “our Ruddys” live so high and cold when the other ones aren’t? It might because they aren’t quite the same species. Yeah, they sound similar but then again, not exactly and, vocalizations aren’t everything so…even if you have seen them in the Amazon, it would be good to see this bird in Costa Rica too.

Volcano Hummingbirds on Poas and Irazu

If you do any high elevation birding, there’s a fair chance you’ll be living the bino/camera life on Cerro de la Muerte (The good old “Mountain of Death”). You’ll see Volcano Hummingbirds but, what you won’t see are Volcano Hummingbirds with pinkish or rose gorgets. That’s cause those little jammies live on other high mountains; one on the Irazu-Turrialba massif and the other one on Poas and Barva Volcanos.

They are still considered the same species but, it wouldn’t be surprising if more detailed studies split them into separate species. Fortunately, they are pretty easy to see. Watch any high elevation vegetation on Irazu and Poas and you should see both. Watch for large bugs that are actually tiny hummingbirds. Oh yeah, and make sure you watch for them above 2,200 meters to rule out the similar Scintillant Hummingbird (more or less).

Ochre-breasted Antpitta

Have you seen Shakira and those other dancing Ochre-breasted Antpittas in Ecuador or Colombia? I hope so but I also urge you to see the one that lives in Costa Rica. Yeah, it’s still the same species but, yet again, more detailed studies could easily split it.

I mean, it looks a bit different, sounds slightly different, and has quite the disjunction range so, it could be split. Unfortunately, it is not an easy bird to see in Costa Rica. Try quality middle elevation forests such as El Copal, Hotel Quelitales, and Tapanti.

Azure-hooded Jay and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush

You’ll want to see these beautiful cloud forest birds anyways but, it’s also good to know that the ones in Costa Rica and Panama are waiting to be split from birds in other parts of their range.

The jay isn’t easy or common but, if you watch for it high quality cloud forest, you might see them. The nightingale-thrush is much easier in middle elevations, if skulky.

Ashy-throated Chlorospingus

This is an uncommon and cool bird to see, even if it’s not as brightly colored as the Emerald Tanagers it often flocks with. It might be a future split or, might not be but, since it only lives in quality habitat, looking for it is birding in the best of places. Nope, not the easiest of birding but, foothill rainforest with chances at uncommon species like Yellow-eared Toucanet and so on and so on.

There’s lots to see in Costa Rica and you don’t need to see these species but, if you want to see some likely splits, these are some good ones to go after. There’s also taking closer looks at Nutting’s Flycatchers to see if the very cryptic Salvadoran Flycatcher also occurs but I can’t blame you for leaving that ponderous task to local birders or another trip.

No matter what birds you look at or how you go birding, I hope to see you here!

To learn more about sites mentioned in this post and how to find these and more than 900 other birds in Costa Rica, consider supporting this blog by purchasing my 900 plus page Costa Rica bird finding guide, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.

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Costa Rica Birding News January, 2026

Happy New Year! Happy days of seeking birds; both new and pseudo new (for the year listers). Happy birding wherever you are, especially in Costa Rica, a land of quetzals, Wrenthrushes, macaws, and waaaay more.

Some of that waaaay more.

If you are headed to Costa Rica now, plan on visiting in January or, any time the rest of the high season, this birding news is for you.

Sandhill Crane and Aplomado Falcon Still Present

Two star birds in Costa Rica are still showing at the Mistico fields. Both Sandhill Crane and Aplomado Falcon have been recently spotted at farm fields near Mistico. Although the fields have been converted from rail friendly rice to not so many birds melons, let’s hope that the falcon and crane stay there at least for another month.

They could leave at any time but, if you want to add a couple excellent birds to your Costa Rica list, now would be the time to visit this hotspot near Mistico. Go to the end of the road where there is a gate. You can look from there or, go to the other side of the gate and walk to where you can get better looks.

Snowcaps at Quebrada Gonzalez

Snowcap, that much desired hummingbird, has been frequenting the parking area at Quebrada Gonzalez. On a recent trip, we saw two females and one young male visiting Porterweed and feeding from small red flowers at the forest edge.

Although the species is more reliable at Rancho Naturalista, El Copal, and sites near there, especially the crazy, wine-colored males, it’s always good to know about more sites for this beauty.

Cinchona Feeders

The fruit feeders at the Hummingbird Cafe in Cinchona have been turning up the usual good birds like barbets, Northern Emerald Toucanet, Buff-fronted Quail-dove on the ground, and other birds. However, it’s been another story for the hummingbird feeders.

On a recent visit, we had very little activity, something that could be related to the folks at Cinchona putting out the feeders with less frequency. This is related to Ministry of Environment employees making them take the feeders down and warning them that they could be fined if they put them back up.

Yes, you read that right, in Costa Rica.

Unfortunately, based on interpretation of laws that prohibit feeding wild animals, some people would like to stop any feeding of birds. Never mind the lack of studies demonstrating a negative effect on bird populations and putting more emphasis on that than the real and much larger impacts on animals and ecosystems caused by pesticides, human caused climate change, and outright destruction. It’s just easier to make people take down feeders (which might even harm hummingbird populations since many seem to have declined). It doesn’t happen everywhere but, once in a while, businesses are told to remove their feeders.

With luck, we can change this law or, at least find a way to regulate bird feeding so it can always take place. In the meantime, be aware that the authorities in Costa Rica do make some places take them down from time to time.

Monteverde Reserve Changes

If you plan on visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, be aware that they have made some changes regarding entrance times and fees. To enter, you must pick an entrance time, trail, and pay in advance via their online booking site. This only covers one trail, to visit another trail, you would have to pick another entrance time and pay again. Parking has also been completely moved away from the reserve and there is a shuttle bus that brings you to the entrance.

These changes must have been implemented to manage the high visitation rates at the reserve. However, it also means some local guides won’t guide there any longer. Instead, they mostly guide at two other great birding sites; Santa Elena Reserve and Curi-Cancha.

Improvements at Cope’s Place

Cope’s Place has continued to make improvements at this classic, very special hotspot. There is a larger, cement floored area for bird observation at the house, and a larger overhang to keep you from getting rained on. Not that this great birding site needed any changes but now, it just looks a bit nicer.

Sicklebill and other Birds at Nectar and Pollen

Just up the road from Cope’s, we have another excellent site for bird photography; Nectar and Pollen. Owner Miguel continues to plant and carefully manage the site for birds, especially hermits and the White-tipped Sicklebill. Lately, that crazy-billed hummingbird has been a regular visitor and, some days, he has had that and every possible hermit species in Costa Rica!

There’s also Rufous Motmot, oropendolas, toucans, tanagers, and various other birds to look at. Although Black-crested Coquette and Snowcap haven’t been there recently, they could also occur at any time. Not to mention, the skies are always good for raptors (we had a pair of Great Black Hawks and King Vultures), and the forest can have good mixed flocks.

Need Sunbittern? Take the Green Ship Sarapiqui Boat Trip

Sunbittern

Sunbittern is a much wanted bird and with good reason. The bird’s odd, unique shape, sunburst wing pattern, and elusive nature combine to drench it with allure. Being the sole member of its family only adds to the must see qualities of this special bird.

In Costa Rica, despite most sightings happening in certain spots, this species is actually fairly common. It just prefers being unobtrusive in less accessible spots.

I’ve found that one reliable way to see Sunbittern in Costa Rica is taking the Green Ship Sarapiqui boat trip. Tell boatman Oscar you want to see “Garza Sol” and he’ll keep a close eye out for it. You’ll have a very good chance at close views along with fair chances at Sungrebe and various lowland forest species. I’ll just also mention that Oscar has been very accommodating and professional, I can’t recommend him enough.

Quetzals Near Poas

Resplendent Quetzal always occurs somewhere in the Poas area. There aren’t as many as on Cerro de la Muerte but, if you know where to look for them, you’ve got a fair chance. Sometimes, I see them on the way to the national park but, if not there, I can usually find them on the San Rafael de Varablanca road.

A couple days ago, we had great looks at a pair that flew out and over the road. Find the right fruiting tree and sometimes, you can see 6 or more quetzals in a day!

Driving to San Jose from the Pacific in January? Go on Sunday Afternoon

If you need to drive to the San Jose area from the Pacific, see if you can drive up Route 27 on a Sunday afternoon. This month, every Sunday afternoon, this highway turns into a much quicker, one way route uphill. If not, it would be a slow going, traffic ladened trip.

Are you birding in Costa Rica this January? I hope these tips help. There’s always a lot more to say,; to learn more about birding at sites mentioned above and others, how to see Sunbittern and other species as well as identification tips, support this blog by getting my 900 plus page ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.

Happy birding, I hope to see you here!

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Best Costa Rica Birds of 2025

Its the end of the year, do you know where your lifers are? How about best birds of the year? In birding terms, “best” is a personal issue and can mean anything from a fave feeder species (which, in Costa Rica, could be a toucan) to your personal rarest bird of the year, a bird that plucked your emotional strings orm whatever species you feel like naming “the best”.

These past 12 months, we’ve had some nice birds in Costa Rica, truth is, we always do. Thinking about it, birding in Costa Rica is sort of like seeing “best birds” every day, especially if its your first trip.

This is a place of Resplendent Quetzals, of macaws and toucans and big purple hummingbirds. A place where tropical trees can buzz and shake with mixed flock movements. Check those rocky rivers and you might see a Sunbittern, keep an eye on the sky and an Ornate Hawk-Eagle may soar into view. Costa Rica is a place of birding dreams, best birds are the norm.

Even so, some birds stand out from this past year, at least for me. Here’s some of the very best from birding in Costa Rica, 2025.

Sandhill Crane

We’ve seen lots of good birds this year but it’s hard to beat a country first. Not just a first either but a barely expected one, a species less on the mind than Altamira Oriole, Gadwall, White-tailed Trogon, or other species that live much closer to our borders.

Cranes migrate far, their wings can easily carry them further but this one barely reaches central Mexico. I’m grateful it flew to Costa Rica, more so that so many local birders could see it too.

Yellow-billed Tern

Another major mega for Costa Rica! With just two previous records, both from Cano Negro, the local birding community was pleased indeed when a Yellow-billed Tern spent some time in Guanacaste.

We got to see this South American bird too and thus add an excellent bird to our Costa Rica lists.

Short-eared Owl

Major major bird for Costa Rica, the last Short-eared Owl was one captured and released by folks in Cartago two or three years ago. Before then, it was maybe a century before then?

Last month, while surveying birds in Barra del Colorado with some other birders, local birder and national park guard Manuel Campbell saw one on the beach! It flew, they got definitive pictures and documented one of the top bird sightings of the year.

It wasn’t refound but gives hope that maybe the same or anothe rbird might be somewhere out there in the wide fields of Guanacaste? It’s be worth looking for this harrier-owl and the time would be now.

Aplomado Falcon

A few of these top tropical falcons make it to Costa Rica every year. However, most are one day wonders or never found in the first place. Cool thing about this bird is that it’s been hunting the same area for a while now. Many local birders have seen it, I hope it stays long enough to add it to the 2026 year list.

Galapagos Petrel

All pelagic birds are special but this critically endangered species ups the ante. One was seen during pelagic birding somwhere between the coast and Cocos Island. It’s a reminder of how good the pelagic birding can be on that 36 hour passage and that other megas are probably out there, waiting to be found (ie. Black-winged Petrel, Cook’s Petrel, and some other goodies I included on the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app as possibilities).

Crested Eagle

In Costa Rica, this near Harpy is both a mystery and a mega. Mystery because we have no idea how many still live here, and mega because it’s hard to see no matter where you look for it (it also gets points for being a big raptor).

This past year, at least one was seen in forest near the Pitilla Station and another may have been seen somewhere else. The sighting at Pitilla is a first for that species in that area but, given the extensive forested habitat, is somewhat unsurprising. Even so, it’s fantastic to know that the species still occurs in that area. Could there be a breeding pair or two? Let’s hope so.

Bare-necked Umbrellabird

This crow-like cotinga is resident and regular but, it’s never easy! It’s also endangered and, like the Crested Eagle, we actually have no real count of its overall population. Using what little we know about the bird to roughly extrapolate, I would guess that 200 might live in Costa Rica. Who knows but I do know that very few are seen in appropriate habitat, and that they lack a lot of wintering habitat.

I was very pleased to start January birding with a male seen with my friend and top Irish birding guide Niall Keough at Centro Manu, see another male on the road to Manuel Brenes with friend and owner of Avocet Birding Courses, Cameron Cox and his wonderful tour group from Utah, and show a Swedish couple a young male at Centro Manu earlier this month.

Slaty Finch

Not as fancy as the birds mentioned above but still one of the best! This resident species is probably just as hard to see as an umbrellabird. It’s skulky, seems decidedly uncommon, and mostly prone to revealing itself at bamboo seeding events.

That said, I did hear one singing on Irazu last week, the Nochebuena area seems to be somewhat good for them (that means it might be recorded on 20% of trips to that area!). Lately, folks have also been seeing two or three on the Roble Trail at Savegre.

Those are the notable, “best” birds that come to mind although I’m sure there’s lots more. I’m tempted to call the crane my best bird of 2025 but any other bird shared with fellow birders, especially folks I have guided, are also the best. I hope to see you in 2026, wishing you happy birding and and abundance of health and happiness!

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Birding Costa Rica Tips-Best Sites for Wrenthrush

Wrenthrush.

Going birding in Costa Rica? On your way to this fine bio-heavy nation for fantastic avian photography? I hope so. If I had a bouquet of wishes, one would be that all birders and would-be birders experience the avian side of Costa Rica. That you get a hefty, lofty positive, bird friendly dose.

If you haven’t been, get ready for a big change in birding scenery, be ready for living a birding dream. Macaws, parrots, trogons, toucans, a few dozen hummingbirds, and dozens of other bird species, most within easy reach.

This species (White-fronted Parrot) flies over my home most mornings.

There’s also lots of regional endemics, one of which is so unique, it got its very own family! Right, as in toucans and toucanets and aracaris all belong to the Toucan family, and Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Northern Cardinals are in the Cardinal family, the Wrenthrush is in the Wrenthrush family.

Yep, it used to be known as an “aberrant warbler”, like there was something primally wrong with it. Stubby tail, dark plumage and that orange cap/crest? It sort of looked like a wren or a tapaculo or an Asian Tesia but it just refused to fit in. The deal with the Wrenthrush, the Zeledonia, is that its ancestors were an ancient lineage of songbird that eventually evolved to live in cloud forests restricted to Costa Rica and Panama.

It’s the only living, known member of that lineage and since it looks so different from other birds, the Wrenthrush is all Wrenthrush and nothing else. Instead of being “aberrant”, it’s wonderfully unique. There’s everything right about the Zeledonia, especially for birders hoping to see every avian family on the planet.

Whether interested in avian evolutionary history, taxonomy, or just hoping to see cool and different birds, the Wrenthrush is a must-see bird. If you can hear high frequencies, listening to one isn’t too difficult. However, the “seeing one” part of the equation can be a bit more challenging. Even so, with patience in the right birding places, you have a pretty good chance. Try the following tips to connect with this extra special bird.

Where do Wrenthrushes live?

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The Wrenthrush occurs in dense, wet understory vegetation more or less above 1,500 meters. They only occur in the mountains of Costa and Panama, north to Volcan Miravalles (but maybe not on Tenorio) and south to west-central Panama.

This pseudo wren likes dense bamboo and especially enjoys low, profuse leafy vegetation that grows in treefall gaps, along streams, or other perpetually wet areas.

That “dense” part of the equation translates to “very difficult to see” and is why, when I hear a Wrenthrush calling, I figure out which direction its moving and then see if there’s a coinciding spot where I can look into the understory/ground. You wait and watch for it to eventually pop into view but, don’t dare take your eyes off that spot!

One false move, one look around for other birds, or taking a picture of a nearby Fiery-throated Hummingbird and that’s when the Wrenthrush hops in and back out of sight. Not always but, quite often, that’s the way the Wrenthrush plays. Think of warblers flitting in and out of sight in the canopy but in dense undergrowth with few viewing opportunities.

Tempting but you’ll have lots more chances at Fiery-throated Hummingbirds than seeing Wrenthrushes.

The Best Places to See Wrenthrush

Now that you know the Wrenthrush range and its habitat, you also know more or less where they live. Sort of. But honestly, most dense, wet, herbaceous or bamboo understory in or at the edge of forest above 1,500 meters is a good place to check.

EBird sightings give a good idea but those hotspots aren’t the only places to see a Wrenthrush. As long as you bird in its range and habitat, you’ve got a chance at finding one. You probably won’t spot one in the open but, you can tune in to their calls and take it from there. Use the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app to learn its vocalizations before going birding in Costa Rica and, if you think you hear a high-pitched rising call issuing from low, dense vegetation, there’s a good chance you’re near a Wrenthrush.

That all said, these are some easily accessible sites that are good for the bird:

Poas Volcano National Park and nearby. If you enter the national park (by choosing and paying an entrance fee in advance), and slowly walk the cement trail to and near the lake, you have a great chance of seeing a Wrenthrush. Never mind all of those other people, the birds are there too. They also live in suitable habitat on the road up and around Varablanca.

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Paraiso Quetzal- I think most visiting birders get their Wrenthrush here. The species seems especially prevalent in high elevation shrubbery and this spot is perfect for it. Check out the entrance road and on their trails.

Dota Valley and Other Areas on Cerro de la Muerte– Wrenthrushes occur in the heavily visited Dota Valley and many birders also see it there, especially the first spot where the descending road sort of flattens out and runs next to a river. Other good sites are the Robles Trail at Savegre and anywhere with appropriate habitat.

Other spots on Cerro de la Muerte include the Providencia Road as well as just about any area or site up there with low, dense,m wet vegetation.

Irazu Volcano– Although there’s a lot of ag. fields on the drive up, there are a couple spots with forest next to the road, especially in the Nochebuena Restaurant area. Speaking of the Nochebuena, their trails are also very good for Wrenthrush, especially the part that goes along a stream (which may be a bit treacherous in places). Note that the bird can also live in shrubby paramo habitat in and just outside the national park.

Monteverde area– Wrenthrushes aren’t as common here as other, higher spots but they do occur. A couple good areas are the Santa Elena Reserve and the Continental Divide zone in the Monteverde Reserve (although your birding may be limited by recent strict visiting times and regulations where you have to pay a separate fee for each trail…).

There’s other places to see Wrenthrush too, remember, as long as you go above 1500 meters in dense, wet cloud forest, you’ll be in the skulking realm of the Zeledonia. Listen, have patience, and you’ll probably see one!

To learn more about the birding sites mentioned in this post, hundreds of other sites, and how to look for other birds in Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing my Costa Rica birding site guide ebook. I hope to see you here!

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How to See a Quetzal, Wrenthrush, and 12 Hummingbird Species on a Birding Day Trip in Costa Rica

Birding in Costa Rica can be easy going, common birds in a hotel garden, hiking rainforest trails, taking a boat trip, visiting private reserves, and much more. There’s lots of options, when it comes down to it, how you want to experience birds is up to you.

However, with that in mind, to see some antbirds and other shy, rainforest species, you might need to take that rainforest hike. To see Three-wattled Bellbird and other local species, you’ll have to know just where to go at the right time of year. Knowing how to look for unfamiliar tropical birds also helps and, if you aren’t sure how to identify them, there’s nothing that compares with an experienced guide.

We also have a set of birds that most birders would sort of love to see more than other species. That’s not to say we should ignore or show less appreciation for birds like the Cinnamon-bellied Saltator, Great Kiskadee, or Blue-gray Tanager.

Not by any means. All birds are good birds; they help us reconnect, reenergize, and appreciate our natural world. There’s just some bird species you might want to see more than others, some birds that only live in or nearly within Costa Rica. There’s also a bird or two that look so incredible, it’s simply hard to believe they exist.

Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica

One of those ultimate unreal birds is the Resplendent Quetzal and yes, although I’ve seen them hundreds of times over decades of birding in Costa Rica, every single sighting is wondrous. Honestly, the sacred bird of the Mayans really is one of those species that must be seen to be believed.

I see one and still wonder how to describe that shade of green/gold/bluish. I see the red underparts and still imagine that the feathers should feel like plush velvet. I mean, they do look that way. A male’s feathers trail and quiver behind it in flight and it still blows my mind away.

It’s no wonder more than one birder I have guided has been moved to tears upon seeing one. I have seen the same emotional reaction at a major macaw clay lick in Peru and with good reason. Both experiences are natural world circuit overload in the best way; sights, sounds, and colors that surpass your wildest birding dreams.

It would seem that there’s an unwritten rule that such an incredibly surreal species as the Resplendent Quetzal should also be rare and tough to find. I’m pleased to say that nope, that’s not the case, especially not in Costa Rica. Although quetzals aren’t flying around like grackles or exactly simple to see, they aren’t all that rare either. The quetzal situation in Costa Rica is similar to so many other birds in so many other parts of the world.

Watch for them in the right habitat, know how to look for them, and you’ll probably find them. Yes, it might take some time but they are out there, feeding on wild “avocados” in cloud forest.

Wrenthrush

Wrenthrush.

The Wrenthrush is another one of those must see birds. Nope, it doesn’t have an iridescent coat, it’s not big, and its song is as high pitched and wiry sounding as they get. But, it’s one heck of a unique bird and that’s why I hope every birder sees one.

Wren? No. Thrush? No again. Wrenthrush? Yes!

What used to be an aberrant wood-warbler is so different, ornithologists figured the Wrenthrush deserved its very own family. Like the quetzal, happily, it’s not very rare either! I wouldn’t call the Wrenthrush very common and it may have declined in some areas but I still hear and see them quite often. Even better, they live in the same places as quetzals.

Like some wrens, Grasshopper Warblers, and other species with a strong aversion to open spaces, Wrenthrushes happily skulk in dense, wet vegetation. The good thing is that you can see them, at least if you know what they sound like and how to look for them.

Hummingbirds

There’s lots of hummingbirds in Costa Rica and who doesn’t want to see them all? I still enjoy seeing Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds in my urban neighborhood, even as ultra common as they are. Recently, we have also been seeing a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird wintering here and then there are other species, lots of other hummingbirds further afield.

It’s not much further afield either; I’m talking within an hour and a half drive from the San Jose area. There are four or five hummingbird species in the high elevations, 7 more or so in middle elevations, and a couple others here and there’ more than enough to see a dozen species in a day, probably more.

An Easy and Productive Birding Day Trip from the San Jose Area

There are mountains visible from the airport, also from my neighborhood and they are topped with cloud forest; Poas and Barva Volcanoes. Just on the other side, the weather and forest is wetter and the forests host another suite of species.

From the San Jose area (especially from Alajuela and near the airport), it only takes 45 minutes to an hour to drive up there on good roads. No hiking needed, only a vehicle that will get you up there, help you enter the realms of quetzals, Wrenthrushes, Fiery-throated Hummingbirds and lots more. Bird your way down to and below Cinchona and you’ll see more hummingbirds, probably find more than a dozen species.

I spend a morning birding this route and I routinely see quetzal, Wrenthrush, and several hummingbirds along with 70 more. Spend the whole day and 100 plus species is par for the course. You can’t go wrong with a day trip to the Poas-Cinchona area when birding Costa Rica. To learn more about doing this easy and exciting day trip, send me an email today. In the meantime, here are some FAQs about the Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica:

FAQs about Quetzals in Costa Rica

Is there a quetzal season in Costa Rica?

No, technically, there is no quetzal season in Costa Rica. Although various sources mention a “quetzal season”, they are referring to the quetzal nesting season that usually takes place from February to March. Yes, it is easy to wait at a quetzal nest but, in addition to needing to be careful to not disturb the birds, it’s not necessary.

Quetzals live and feed in Costa Rican cloud forests all year long.

Do Quetzals migrate in Costa Rica?

Quetzals do not migrate in Costa Rica, at least not outside the country. However, after nesting, they often move around in search of fruiting trees and some can migrate to lower elevations. The lowest I have seen quetzals is 500 meters, always females.

Do you need a guide to see a Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica?

No, you do not need a guide to see a Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica. However, as with many bird species, you’ll have a much better chance seeing one if you hire an experienced guide who knows how to find them.

Are quetzals rare in Costa Rica?

No, quetzals are not rare in Costa Rica. They are uncommon but regular species of cloud forest habitats from 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) to more than 3,000 meters (9,000 to 10,000 feet).

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Tis The Season for Umbrellabirds at Centro Manu

The holiday season has been unleashed and Costa Rica is no exception. Arrays of blinking and flashing Christmas lights, inflatable Santas and reindeers, candy cane and nutcracker themed decor…my neighborhood’s got it all. Christmas carol tracks are also on replay in supermarkets hawking everything from pseudo fruitcakes to panettones imported from Verona.

Growing up in Niagara, I don’t recall panetonnes (a fun, sort of brioche-like bread with mini chocolate chunks and candied fruit), but we did exchange tins of Christmas cookies. Those home-made treasure boxes featured a fine assortment of sugar-butter creations, even cucidati, Italian wedding cookies, mini brownies, pizzelle, you know, the good stuff!

In Costa Rica, people exchange tamales. They belong to a heftier food category than a flat, lightweight pizzelle but the kind, gift giving feelings are the same. Tamales aren’t bad either; if you’re in Costa Rica in December, make sure you try one accompanied by a fine cup of locally grown and roasted coffee.

Something else to enjoy in Costa Rica these days are umbrellabirds. Tis the season for these rare crow-like cotingas, especially at Centro Manu. After breeding in remote cloud forests, Bare-necked Umbrellabirds move to lower elevations, sort of “wintering” there until they head back uphill in February and March.

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Umbrellabird breeding habitat.

Alas, umbrellabirds can’t spend post breeding season in any old place. These special birds need mature rainforests that provide them with plenty of their preferred tamales and cucidati; local tropical fruit, small lizards, and a fine assortment of big bugs. Sadly, unlike toucans, they won’t go for bananas and would rarely if ever visit a fruit feeder. Nor will they hang out in second growth or forest edge; those places just don’t have the stuff that umbrellabirds need.

Based on their extra large eyes, I also wonder if they might be better adapted to the dim conditions of the forest interior, and thus avoid brightly lit areas. Given their penchant to forage in the upper understory of wonderfully shaded forest made even dimmer by frequent cloudy conditions, I would not be surprised.

That’s what yesterday’s umbrellabird at Centro Manu was up to. The subadult male would perch on a branch about 12 feet above the ground and peer this way and that, looking around until it swooped to snatch some bug, or move to another branch. On occasion, the mega bird also swooped to snatch a small “wild avocado” fruit in flight, gulping it down after regaining a perch. I’m not kidding about the swooping either, this species flies a bit like a woodpecker.

Yep, all of that show and right in front of us, for extended photo sessions, and walkaway views. That’s what’s going on at Centro Manu right now, you might want to visit! However, I’d be lying if I said it was simple as pie. It probably won’t be. We had to walk to the back part of the trail and still get lucky to cross paths with the bird. That trail is also famously muddy and has some slippery roots and rocks, and the forest is pretty humid and features a healthy population of mosquitos.

Even so, as long as you can walk fairly well and have repellent, you’ll be alright. You’ll still need some luck to run into an umbrellabird (that endangered status ain’t for nothing) but, you also have a fair chance at Centro Manu, especially right now. Heck, their guide Kenneth has also recently seen one in the early morning right above the office!

A different Bare-necked Umbrellabird from Manu last winter.

I don’t know how many umbrellabirds are hanging out at Centro Manu but I bet there’s more than one. When you aren’t looking for this serious mega, there’s also lots of other stuff to search for too. We also saw White-crowned Manakin, Black-crowned Antshrike, Spotted Antbird, the roosting Great Potoo, and Rufous-winged Tanager among other 90 plus bird species. You might also want to check out the fruiting figs near the hummingbird garden, they’re bound to attract some uncommon birds, maybe even a Lovely Cotinga or Red-fronted Parrotlet? Those would be a couple of additional mega birds indeed but, since they also partake in the Costa Rican altitudinal shuffle, it’s not out of the question.

Want a guided trip for umbrellabirds and other species at Centro Manu? Let me know! I hope to see you here!

Learn how to look for this bird and find information for dozens of other birding sites in Costa Rica in my Costa Rica bird finding ebook (buying it also supports this blog).

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November-December Costa Rica Birding News

It’s getting cold out there! Not so much in Costa Rica even if some local folks beg to differ. It’s the end of November, creeping into early December and I recall times of preliminary cold, days of playing football with friends in brisk, pre-winter weather, watching the flakes come down accompanied by Thanksgiving parades and football on the TV and slow roasted turkey in the oven.

Outside, on the nature side of the coin, these “winter is coming days” meant chickadee and sharp Downy Woodpecker calls in the hibernating woods, crow caws and Blue Jay jeers in the neighborhood, and gulls. Storms of gulls thriving on the rushing waters of the deep Niagara River.

You watch gull flocks on the Niagara and you might feel mesmerized. Dress for the weather or you’ll feel frozen and numb too but there’ll be more than enough gulls to ponder. At least that’s how it was in the hairspray 80s and flannel 90s. Thousands of gulls to watch; a blizzard of Bonaparte’s and flurries of Ring-billeds and Herrings with a scattering of “white-winged gulls”, hulking Great Black-backs and fair chances at other, less common species.

Gulls and ducks and maybe the first Snowy Owl of the year and others birds in Niagara but no Blue-gray Tanagers, no Clay-coloreds mewling, kiskadees shrieking, nor Gray Hawks whistling. Those are some of the birds I hear in my Costa Rican neighborhood in late November, December too and although northern winds can bring cool conditions, the air is more “fresh” than “freezing finger stealing cold”.

As always, it’s pretty warm in Costa Rica, and the birding is great! Although high season starts sometime next month or January, by the number of birding tours happening, I think several companies and birders have realized that November’s a great time to be birding in Costa Rica too. Here’s a bit of birding news to whet your avian loving appetite.

Aplomado Falcon- still around, not always accessible

Earlier this month (or maybe in October), a sweet Aplomado Falcon was found at a site south of Jaco. Although we get a few of these smart looking raptors every year, they tend to be one day wonders. I bet most of those few birds just wander around until they find some open fields to their liking, ones that are mostly inaccessible.

This bird, on the other hand, decided to set up hunting house in a fairly accessible spot. It’s been hanging out in open fields on the road that extends past a housing/horse farm development called, “Mistico”. A lot of local birders have seen the falcon but, the bird’s not always visible, seems to be largely absent for much of the day, and may spend much of its time on private property beyond the viewing horizon.

If you want to try for it anyways, your best chances are visiting the site in the early morning or late afternoon. Various local birders have had more success by venturing beyond a locked gate but I can’t recommend that. This eBird spot marks the site, the falcon seems to mostly hang out in the open fields past the metal gates.

Even if you don’t see it, you’ll still see lots of other cool birds. On a recent visit, we had Laughing Falcon, a pair of Pearl Kites, and Red-breasted Meadowlark among other species.

Pearl Kites are uncommon, shrikeish, mini raptors.

Sandhill Crane- might still be around, might be gone

Today marks a bit more than a week since the first day of Costa Rica’s first documented Sandhill Crane. Has this species visited in the past? Did people from local cultures encounter them at some point over the past several thousand years? Since Costa Rica was heavily forested and cranes prefer open areas, I bet any encounters would have been pretty darn infrequent.

At the same time, since we’re talking a time frame of thousands of years and cultures absolutely connected with their natural surroundings, it seems that some people probably did encounter lost Sandhill Cranes. They may have eaten them or, at least tried to catch them. In any case, since we don’t have any evidence of that happening, we can at least document this sighting as the first definite record for the country.

Maryllen and I went to see the bird on Friday and I’m sure glad we did! It hasn’t been seen in the same farm field since and could very well have left Costa Rica for good. I hope it gets refound but I wouldn’t be surprised if it migrated or succumbed to unfamiliar conditions. While we watched it, I saw it shed various feathers (perhaps a sign of not doing so well?) and it was vocalizing quite a bit. The crane seemed restless, being such a social, dancing bird, I bet it felt lonely. It will be interesting to see if it turns up in another area.

Watch for other vagrant birds

Even if you don’t find us a Clay-colored Sparrow, you might see a Gartered Trogon on a roadside wire.

A Sandhill Crane came to Costa Rica, what else is out there? Will we get our first Gadwall? Maybe a White-throated Sparrow, Short-eared Owl, or other local megas? Only one way to find out, please document any odd birds you happen to come across.

Hopefully, there’ll be enough local birding going on to find the rare, lost ones. I suppose they could be anywhere but places I’m eager to check include coastal sites, wetlands, and lakes for shorebirds and other aquatic species, open wet fields, and even open paramo sites for pipits or other super rare stuff.

Dry Season Ends (supposedly)

According to the weather forecasting people, November 18th marked the end of the wet season. Although it sprinkled a but today, it seems that they were right. Lately, we have had typical dry season weather of sunny days and breezy conditions. That might be nice weather but it’s actually not so nice for birding.

No worries because there will still be lots of birds to see in the morning and especially in other parts of the country that aren’t so dry. That’s right, as expected, we can expect rain in the mountains, on the Caribbean slope, and still get afternoon rains from Tarcoles to Panama.

Road conditions and driving

Now that the rainy season has mostly dried up, we can see where pot holes have formed. So far, it hasn’t been too bad but then again, I haven’t driven in the areas that saw the heaviest rains. However, I can say that the Bijagual road next to Carara has been more or less fixed, and that the Cerro Lodge road is a bit rutted and rough but still passable by two wheel drive vehicles.

The road from San Ramon to Puntarenas has also been fixed and roadwork is also happening on the road to the Boca Tapada area. Work is still happening on the Tarcoles bridge but it’s not too bad (although could be bad on weekends).

As far as driving goes, when we drove from Jaco to the Central Valley on Friday, I was reminded that you really have to be careful about picking your driving times. For example, when coming back from the Pacific, I will never, ever drive back between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. You have to leave before 2 (and better before noon) or, wait until at least 6 at night. Heck it’s probably worth staying there to look for night birds and then driving back around 7:30 or 8. If not, you will probably spend hours in a barely moving parking lot traffic situation.

As for driving to the Pacific lowlands, you should really leave before 5 a.m.

Lots of great birding in beautiful places

As per usual, there’s lots of great birding in beautiful places. In Costa Rica, that’s par for the course; come here for birding and you can’t go wrong! Tanagers in foothill rainforests, macaws in the lowlands, toucan species in most places, there’s always a lot to see at the numerous birding sites in Costa Rica. I can’t wait to get back out birding soon, I hope you go birding soon too.

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Southern Pacific Costa Rica Birding Tour- Top 10 Birds

The bird list for Costa Rica is quickly approaching 950 species. Imagine that number of birds in Wales. How about West Virginia? Yeah, that many species on a bird list for such a small area!

How does Costa Rica do it? What’s going on to turn up so many bird species?

Including birds like the Scarlet Macaw.

Costa Rica owes its high biodiversity to several factors but the most important could be the conjunction of several major ecosystems and bioregions. With dry forest meeting rainforest and mountains creating their own unique habitats, the country is like a crossroads for tropical life. If we take the junction south from the Tarcoles River, we enter one of the country’s most important endemic areas; the Chiriqui region or “Southern Pacific zone”.

This bioregion extends a bit into western Panama but is still fairly small. Heck, if you could drive from the Tarcoles and cross straight into western Panama, you’d essentially traverse it in 5 to 6 hours. That’s all and yet, the place is chock full of endemic flora, bugs, reptiles, amphibians, and, for the birding set, several much desired bird species.

Throw in some mountain birding and localized natural savannah in the General Valley and we come up with a fantastic array of birds. Of those birds, some are more challenging than others, and some are must-see species. Although it’s not easy to pick a top ten from the sumptuous list of birding possibilities, I’ll settle on the following.

Turquoise Cotinga

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Whoah, that’s a good one! Nothing like an endemic shining blue and purple bird to whet the birding appetite. The only unfortunate thing is that it’s not common. No, you probably won’t see one driving along but, if you go to the right places, you can lay eyes on this stunning bird.

The best spots tend to be around San Isidro del General, sites near San Vito, and on the Osa Peninsula.

Yellow-billed Cotinga

Sharing the rainforest with the Turquoise Cotinga is this other cotingid star. Since it requires mangroves adjacent to rainforest, it’s even less common and likely endangered. However, once again, if you know where to go, you can see them.

Thanks to their rarity, bright shining white plumage, and almost cartoonish peace-doveish shape, seeing Yellow-billed Cotingas in the feathered flesh is nothing short of surreal.

Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager

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Haunting some of the same areas as the two cotinga species, this bird would probably win the prize for being the most localized species in Costa Rica. For unknown reasons, they are essentially endemic to the Osa Peninsula and adjacent rainforests in the Golfo Dulce region.

Even there, they aren’t common! To check out the salmon highlights on this local mega, you’ll have to watch for them in rainforest in ravines and next to streams.

Mangrove Hummingbird

This Mangrove Hummingbird is actually from Mata de Limon.

This country endemic also lives in the northern Pacific zone of Costa Rica but it’s such an important bird, I include it on this list. There are several sites in southern Costa Rica where it occurs, mangroves being the key.

Rosy Thrush-Tanager

What a bird this one is! Now that it has its own family and, could maybe be eventually split into a few species, seeing one in Costa Rica would be a pretty cool trick.

On account of its serious skulking ability and local distribution, it gets easily missed by visiting birders. However, once again, if you know where to go and how to see it, you have a fair chance of watching this dreamy bird.

Ocellated Crake

Ocellated Crake taken by Pirjo Laakso from the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app.

Whoah! Another dream bird and yet, also now feasible! Like the thrush-tanager, good local guides have worked out actually seeing and often getting good pictures of this grass crake!

It is very local in Costa Rica but fairly common in the right habitat.

White-crested Coquette

A bunch of hummingbirds live in Costa Rica’s southern rainforest habitats. This sprite is the most exquisite of them all. Notorious for escaping detection, White-crested Coquettes tend to wander in search of their choice flowering trees and bushes.

Check those food sources long enough and we can usually find them.

Baird’s Trogon

Baird's Trogon
Baird’s Trogon

The Southern Pacific Zone sure has some beautiful birds and this trogon takes the cake! It’s fairly common in rainforest, especially in and near the Osa Peninsula.

Golden-naped Woodpecker

Yet another beauty is this fancy woodpecker. When I happily see this bird, I am often reminded of the American Three-toed Woodpecker, just one that’s dressed for a tropical parade.

Thankfully, this beauty is also fairly common in rainforest habitats and can even come to feeders!

Orange-collared Manakin

Yet another fairly common South Pacific endemic, this manakin is gorgeous. Go birding in and near forest edge and second growth and you’ll hear displaying males snap their wings. Take a closer look and you even see them display in the undergrowth!

These are my top ten for a Southern Pacific tour but really, there’s so many fantastic birds to watch, I could add several more birds. If we blend a birding tour with this region and cloud forest, we’re talking a serious bunch of fantastic birds. Speaking of fantastic birds, in keeping with my constant wish of connecting people with as many fantastic birds as possible, I designed a tour to see all the species mentioned above along with some other birds like these:

Black-bellied Hummingbird

White-bellied Mountain-Gem

Violet Sabrewing

Speckled Tanager and so on and etc.

That tour is the Hillstar Costa Rica: Pacific Specials tour. Running from March 29th to April 9th, this birding trip will turn up a fantastic array of birds often missed on other tours to Costa Rica. Although we never really know which birds will show on a tour, I would expect a wealth of uncommon species on this one! I designed it with that goal in mind, it’s gonna be good.

Would you like to see the species mentioned above and lots more in Costa Rica? And on a fun trip led by Josh Covill? Contact me at information@birdingcraft.com or, at info@hillstarnature.com today. There’s still a couple open spots left!