Planning a birding trip? Aside from making sure you won’t be birding in unstable and dangerous places, a birder’s gotta know where to bird. When planning a birding trip to Costa Rica, you might wonder if it’s worth visiting that urban park you saw on a map? How about intriguing eBird hotspots like “Walmart Woods” or “Calle Viquez”? After all, they are official hotspots, must be good birding right?
Wrong! Take the fabled Walmart Woods for example. Those “woods” are a sliver of green space that meander along a polluted stream adjacent to a Walmart close to the airport. I wouldn’t recommend spending much of any time there.
Yes, you might get lucky and see the Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow but you just as likely will not, the other edge species can be easily seen elsewhere, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable wandering down that quiet urban street showcasing my optics.
So, no matter how eager you may be to watch birds upon arriving to Costa Rica, you are better off watching them away from Walmart Woods. Instead, for the endemic ground-sparrow, I would see about stopping at other spots in Heredia or Alajuela or even Cartago.
As for Calle Viquez, yes, that area can have some nice birds but no, I wouldn’t recommend birding there either. What eBird doesn’t mention is that the best birding is on a poor and frequently impassable road, and that it can take several hours to root out interesting species. So, not the best of birding sites in Costa Rica in part because access isn’t so easy.
Don’t get me wrong, eBird does have lots of valuable information and ideas for birding. Just remember that it doesn’t paint the entire picture for a site and, in Costa Rica, tends to be automatically biased to the most heavily visited sites.
So, how can we learn about the best birding sites in Costa Rica? The Internet is handy but, sadly, Google is seriously lacking. I realize the Google folks are trying to improve search results but sorry, when the first result for various Costa Rica birding-related queries says that Arenal is a good place to see quetzal, misspells Scarlet Macaw, and that you might see Harpy Eagle in the Osa, something’s not working.
Like some other websites, I could simply list several popular birding areas but that doesn’t really answer the question. To cut through the noise of Internet nonsense, based on years of experience, here’s my honest, local take on the best birding sites in Costa Rica.
Birding or Bird Photography
What? That’s not a birding site! Right, I’m not going to say that Palo Verde or some random hotel are the best birding sites in Costa Rica because that wouldn’t be accurate. Instead, before giving any answer, I would ask if you plan on watching birds or doing bird photography.
The best birding sites for a birder differ from those of a bird photographer. Just into taking pictures and maybe in the best of conditions? Stick to birding hotels and other spots with good feeder set-ups and boat rides. There’s too many to mention but some stand-outs include Laguna del Lagarto, Rancho Naturalista, Hotel Quelitales, Hotel de Campo in Cano Negro (which also do boat rides), the Tarcoles Birding Lodge and boat rides on the Tarcoles, Batsu Gardens, lodges in the Dota Valley, Ensenada Lodge, and Paraiso Quetzales.
As for birders, your best sites depend on the next question.
How do You Want to Watch Birds?
The best birding sites are subjective because not everyone watches birds the same way. That might sound strange but it’s true and factors into the birding trip equation. For example, I enjoy challenging birding in dense foothill rainforest. I like to open my awareness to the forest and see how much I can detect, especially by sound. I also strive to see as many birds as possible even when they are just bits and pieces, way up there in the mossy canopy.
I can detect and see some very uncommon and rare species but I understand why that’s not every birder’s cup of tea. Some folks would rather not silently creep through forest for glimpses of shy forest species, and patiently wait for quail-doves and antbirds to maybe pop into view. And that’s Ok!
We all experience birds in our own way and it’s all good. However, that means that if you would rather get wonderful views of lots of colorful, common birds, the deep forest might not be the best birding site for you. Forest edge, good hotel gardens, and boat rides might be your personal best places, probably ones in line with bird photographers.
With that in mind, the best birding sites for birders who like focused, targeted tropical birding are any place with extensive forest habitat (eBird hotspot or not) such as El Copal, Pocosol Station, sites in the Osa Peninsula, Manuel Brenes Road, and Veragua to name a few.
The best birding sites for folks who would rather take it easy and get looks at various birds without having to hike on forest trails include Quinta de Sarapiqui and any other number of hotels with good, on-site habitat, as well as boat rides, especially in the Cano Negro area.
Sites that work for folks who bird on trails while other birders in their party sit back at the verandah are available too. Rancho Naturalista, Arenal Observatory Lodge, the Tarcoles Birding Lodge, Villa Lapas, and Finca Luna Nueva come to mind.
Which Birds do You Want to See in Costa Rica?
This question is pretty important too. If you’ve already seen macaws but haven’t seen Sungrebe and Nicaraguan Grackle, then the Cano Negro area would be a top birding site. Hoping to see rainforest raptors, tanagers, and cool hummingbirds? Think about any foothill site with as much forest as possible, places like Arenal Observatory Lodge, Skytrek, El Copal, Nectar and Pollen, Pocosol, the La Gamba area and vicinity, the Osa Peninsula, and the north slope of Rincon de la Vieja.
How about seeing Jabirus and dry forest birds? Best birding sites include the Cano Negro area, and sites near Liberia. Bellbirds? Depends on the time of year but Monteverde is perfect for that species and many more.
La Resplendent Quetzal? Although they live in all the highland cloud forests (including sites just 45 minutes from San Jose), quetzal tours at Paraiso Quetzal, the Monteverde area, and the Dota Valley are the most reliable way to see one. I also see them regularly in the Poas area but not on every visit.
In Costa Rica, the Best Birding Sites are up to You
That about sums things up. In general, though, quality birding in Costa Rica is like most places; as long as you are in large areas of habitat, you’ll be in the right place. How you want to go birding and level of comfort are other factors to take into consideration. To learn about the sites mentioned above, hundreds of other birding sites in Costa Rica, and how to see more birds in Costa Rica, check out my 900 plus page ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.
If you have enough time, just make sure to visit these bio-regions/habitats and you’ll see a heck of a lot, probably more than 400 species:
Caribbean Lowland Rainforest
Caribbean Foothill Rainforest
Middle Elevation Forest (cloud forest)
High Elevation Rainforest
South Pacific Rainforest
North Pacific or Dry Forest Habitats
Mangroves and Estuaries
Wetlands such as the Cano Negro
Some FAQs about the best birding sites in Costa Rica
I’ll end this post by answering these commonly asked questions. I hope to see you here!
What are the top sites for birding in Costa Rica?
The top sites for birding in Costa Rica are sites with the most habitat. Some examples include the Osa Peninsula, Arenal area, Monteverde area, El Copal, the Carara area, the Dota Valley, Sarapiqui, Laguna del Lagarto, Veragua, Selva Bananito, and the San Vito area.
Which sites have the most bird species in Costa Rica?
Sites that have the most bird species in Costa Rica include reserves in the Sarapiqui lowlands, Pocosol station, Rancho Naturalista and nearby sites including Vista Aves and El Copal, and the Carara area.
Where can you see toucans, parrots, and other tropical birds in Costa Rica?
In Costa Rica, you can see toucans, parrots, and other tropical birds in lots of places! I even see toucans, parrots, and fancy Long-tailed Manakins just outside of San Jose. However, the best places for these birds are sites with lowland and foothill rainforest.