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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

birding Costa Rica

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

birding Costa Rica

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!

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Spots Open for Fantastic Southern Pacific Costa Rica Birding Tour

Black-bellied Hummingbird

Costa Rica is a small place. We’e talking the size of West Virginia or Wales. You’d think a nation that small would be pretty easy to bird, fairly easy to “clean up” after one birding trip.

For many places, it’d be normal to reach that conclusion but, while Costa Rica is small, this birdy nation also has a trick up its sleeve,; several factors that keep you coming back for more. Either because they love the place or, realize they still have lots more to see, many birders do repeat trips to Costa Rica.

They might want to see a White-tipped Sicklebill.

Basically, you can’t see all the birds in one trip to small Costa Rica because this southern Central American nation is a geographical biodiversity generator. Like a mini continent, Costa Rica borders two oceans, and has mountains running down the nation’s spine that separate dry forests in the northwest from the Caribbean slope rainforests in the east. Different life zones in those same mountains host their own avian suites and, on the Pacific side, south of the Tarcoles River, dry forests suddenly become wet forests, rare rainforests with a high level of endemism.

Throw in localized habitats like mountaintop paramo, wetlands, mangroves, and intermontane valleys and the result is an incredible wealth of biodiversity, more than 600 resident species birds included. Add the migrants and Costa Rica currently boasts a bird list topping 930 species.

It’s why, even though birders can enjoy a fantastic ten day or even two week trip to Costa Rica, they can’t see everything. It’s also why I have helped Hillstar Nature design a trip to connect with the wealth of birds that reside in southern Costa Rica; species many birders have not seen on the more regular Costa Rica birding circuit.

This tour runs from March 29 to April 9 and is aimed at seeing specialties like Rosy Thrush-Tanager, cotingas, Black-bellied Hummingbird (like the feature image), White-crested Coquette, and even Ocellated Crake. Tough birds indeed and seeing them does require some luck but, even more so, it requires birding in the right places with the right local guides. We’ll be doing that and some to connect with as many southern Pacific specialties as possible.

Check out this itinerary:

Day 1. Arrivals, night at Villa San Ignacio in Alajuela

Arrival days aren’t usually the best days for birding. Often, the plane touches down after dark and you are more concerned with getting a good night’s rest than spotlighting for owls. But, sometimes you do arrive in time for birding and that’s where Villa San Ignacio comes into play.

This friendly little place is just 15 minutes from the airport, has beautiful gardens crowned with huge figs, other vegetation that attracts a healthy variety of birds, and excellent service. It’s why I often recommend it as a great starting and/or ending point for any trip to Costa Rica.


Day 2. Transfer to the spectacular birding lodge, Hotel Quelitales

After some fine introduction birding to Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio, you’ll eventually make your way to one of Costa Rica’s newest and best birding lodges; Hotel Quelitales.

Owned by a local birder, it’s no wonder this special place has become a fantastic hotspot. The hummingbird garden can bring in uncommon species like Black-bellied Hummingbird, White-bellied Mountain-gem, Green-fronted Lancebill while other spots may turn up Scaled Antpitta or even Black-breasted Wood-Quail.

White-bellied Mountain-gem

Many. many other birds are also possible, right outside your door.


Day 3. Tapanti National Park and night at Hotel Quelitales

Although Quelitales is fantastic birding on its own, a visit to the nearby Tapanti National Park makes it that much better!

The mossy, beautiful middle elevation rainforests of Tapanti are excellent for mixed flocks and a wide variety of cloud forest species, many of which are uncommon. Some of the many birds to look for include Black-faced Solitaire, woodcreepers, Brown-billed Scythebill, barbets, and much more. With luck, you might even see an Ochre-breasted Antpitta, Streaked Xenops, foliage-gleaners, and other shy, uncommon species.

In sunny weather, this site and nearby areas can also be good for hawk-eagles, Barred Hawk, and other raptors.


Day 4. Drive over the mountains to the Talari Lodge in Perez Zeledon

buff-fronted-quail-do

After a morning birding and breakfast at Quelitales, you drive up and over the nearby majestic Talamanca Mountains. Lunch will be at the wonderful Casa Tangara dowii; a special reserve dedicated to birding and birders.

With luck, the group will be treated to wonderful views of cloudforest species at the feeder. These can include Yellow-thighed Brushfinch, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, and, with luck, Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge!

Lunch will be followed by a scenic drive through and over beautiful high elevation forests and treeline habitats. You might make a few stops on the way or head straight to birdy lodging. Feeder action could host Speckled Tanager and other species and, at night, there might be Tropical Screech-Owl and Common Potoo.


Day 5. Morning birding and transfer to Mary Hotel in Buenos Aires

Today, you’ll explore the birdy forests at Talari and in the nearby General Valley. Specialties will include a first real taste of south Pacific birds, you may see Scaled Pigeon, Orange-collared Manakin, Streaked Saltator, Pearl Kite, White-crested Coquette, and even Turquoise Cotinga.

The General Valley can be especially good for this fantastic, uncommon cotinga and we will watch for it at our hotel as well as spots around Perez Zeledon. We will eventually make our way to the grass savannahs near Buenos Aires and end the day looking for the local White-tailed Nightjar.


Day 6. Morning search for specialties and drive to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge

After an early breakfast, we make our way to the savannah habitats of the General Valley where we will work with a local guide to look for uncommon and localized species like Ocellated Crake and Rosy Thrush-Tanager.

Eventually, we will make our way over the scenic coastal cordillera for some afternoon birding in wetland habitats near Ciudad Neily.

These open hábitats host several uncommon and local species for Costa Rica including Veraguan Mango, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Brown-throated Parakeet, Savannah Hawk, and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture among others. With luck, we might also see Paint-billed Crake.

On the drive to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, we will keep an eye out for nocturnal species like Striped Owl and Common Potoo.

Dinner and night at Esquinas.


Day 7 and 8 Esquinas Rainforest Lodge and Rincon de Osa

This area is wonderful, a birdwatcher’s paradise in the South Pacific of Costa Rica!

Several endemic bird species like the Black-cheeked Ant-tanager, Charming Hummingbird, Yellow-billed, and Turquoise Cotinga occur along with many other species. Needless to say, this is an excellent place to enlarge a birder’s life list.

birding Costa Rica

During our stay at Esquinas, the lodge’s very birdy gardens, trails, and edge habitats should keep us entertained. A huge number of species are possible including various flycatchers, manakins, Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager, Baird’s Trogon, Golden-naped Woodpecker, raptors, and more.

Some of the other birds we will watch for include Blue-headed Parrot, Tiny Hawk, Spectacled Owl, and the uncommon undescribed “Puntarenas Screech-Owl”.

On our first full day at Esquinas, we will spend one full day birding around the lodge grounds. On our second day, we will pay an early morning visit to Rio Rincon to watch for the endangered Yellow-billed Cotinga, Turquoise Cotinga, and other specialties, and then spend the rest of the day back at Esquinas.

All meals and nights at Esquinas.


Day 9. Drive up the Pacific coast to Tarcoles Birding LodgeDay 9-10. Central Pacific (Night at Tarcoles Birding Lodge or similar)

After a final morning of early birding and breakfast, we will drive up the coast to Esquipulas Rainforest Lodge for lunch and chances at seeing birds like White-crested Coquette and other rainforest species.

After lunch, we continue moving north for a bit of late afternoon birding at our hotel, the Tarcoles Birding Lodge. True to its name, this spot has excellent birding, especially from a tower that overlooks patches of dry forest and wetlands in a river valley.

We could see Crane Hawk among other raptors.


Day 10. Carara NP in the AM, birding by boat in the afternoon. Night at Tarcoles Birding Lodge

While walking the easy trails in the rainforests of Carara National Park, we will watch for a healthy variety of lowland rainforest interior birds including the likes of Great Tinamou, Black-faced Antthrush, Streak-chested Antpitta, Rufous Piha, manakins, and more.

The boat trip is an excellent way to get leisurely views of waterbirds and many edge species. We will also have a chance at various raptors, and good chances of seeing Scarlet Macaws and many parrots in flight. We also hope to see at least 3 species of Kingfishers and will have more chances at mangrove specialties like Mangrove Vireo, Mangrove Yellow Hummingbird, and Mangrove Hummingbird.


Day 11. Final birding in the morning and drive to Villa san Ignacio near the airport

This morning, we hope to catch up on dry forest species we have yet to see. We’ll look for everything from Crane Hawk to Spot-bellied Bobwhite, the spectacular White-throated Magpie-Jay, and Black-headed Trogon.

birding Costa Rica
Black-headed Trogon.

Night and dinner at Villa San Ignacio.


Day 12. Flights back home

Transfer to the airport for the flight back home.

One of the best things about this fantastic tour is that room is still available! To experience this wealth of uncommon mega birds in Costa Rica, please contact me at information@birdingcraft.com or contact Hillstar Nature directly at info@hillstarnature.com

You can also see more information about this carefully designed birding tour at Hillstar Nature.

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Birding Costa Rica preparing for your trip

Costa Rica = Easy Fantastic Birding

I haven’t spent much time birding lately. Now is when the guiding season reaches a low point, and by chance, now is also when I have been working on other projects. I am still grateful though, and I still see birds. I step through the front door and swifts pattern the skies every morning. Chestnut-collareds forage over a mango tree and nearby coffee farms along with three or four species of swallows, Vaux’s Swift, White-collared Swift, and one of those non-vocalizing Cypseloides. That’s what we call Spot-fronted and White-chinned Swifts most of the time, or, at least when they don’t vocalize and fly too high up there to see the pattern on their faces.

One of those friendly neighborhood Chestnut-collared Swifts. 

Right out the front door they are along with a Lesson’s Motmot or two, Brown Jays, a flock of Crimson-fronted Parakeets, handsome Hoffmann’s Woodpeckers (aren’t most woodpeckers handsome?) and other birds. This morning, Baltimore Orioles chattered from brushy trees. New arrivals and now here for the winter duration. May they thrive and fly all the way back to breed. The same goes for Yellow, Tennessee, and Chestnut-sided Warblers all here now and just outside the door. At times, I hear the calls of a Short-tailed Hawk from high overhead, that’s one of our common hawks. Other times, I detect the audible presence of one of the other common raptors, the Gray Hawk. And at night, I hear the occasional shriek of a Barn Owl canvassing the neighborhood, keeping the rat numbers down.

These, just outside, and I’m not even birding and that’s partly why Costa Rica is easy fantastic birding (EFB if you will). There’s a lot of green space, there are beautiful tropical forests, and because this country is not one of the bigger nations of our world, it’s all within arms reach. A few arguments for Costa Rica being synonymous wth EFB:

Easy to visit– Folks who live in southern Canada or much of the eastern USA can get here on one or two flights, usually six hours flight time at most. Yeah, that’s all! Before you know it, you are here and the list is 920 plus species. There are plenty of choices for accommodation and good infrastructure for tourism. As testament to this, I know many birders who visit Costa Rica over and over. They saw how easy it was to visit, the great birding is impossible to ignore and so they just keep coming back.

Because Northern Emerald Toucanet. 

Easy to access habitat– Every major habitat in the country and I guess even minor ones can be visited by vehicle. Easily. Want to try and see an Unspotted Saw-whet Owl? Um, yeah! It’s cold up there but it’s a drive into the mountains on good roads. How about ye good olde mind blowing quetzal? Ditto, although not nearly as cold. And, a couple dozen birds only found in Costa Rica and Panama live up there too…

Like the fancy Purple-throated Mountain-Gem 

Wetlands, lowland rainforest, foothill rainforest, cloud forest, tropical dry forest. Each have their own suite of species and all are accessible. Imagine driving from Florida to Colorado but in a couple hours and then to California a couple hours later, and then swinging down to sweet Arizona but in another hour. Except that the habitats have more birds, like hundreds of them. I’m not sure if that paints the best picture of birding in Costa Rica but I hope it hints at how amazing this place is for birding.

Easy to see birds…no..a lot of birds!– Like the ones out my front door. Or just up the road in the mountains. At other sites, the birds just keep on coming. Like the Carara area. Holy smokes, can you imagine identifying 100 species in a couple hours? And then adding birds all day long? That’s Carara for you, a major meeting point of different habitats with hundreds of bird species. Or, lowland rainforest on the other side of the mountains, likewise, lots of birds, lots of species, and they just keep coming. Or, the good birding in the highlands, or just innocently driving along. For example, the other day, while driving from the Caribbean lowlands to the highlands, minding my own business and without trying, six or more toucans couldn’t help but be noticed along with groups of oropendolas, four or five species of parrots and parakeets, the usual Bat Falcon on its perch, a couple other raptor species, Amazon Kingfisher, and I also heard the voices of several other species, some of which were missed by my Team Tyto during birding on Global Big Day in the same area! It’s almost like you can’t not see birds.

Hard to not see.

Fantastic birding– All this adds up to fantastic birding. I suppose that’s birding where additional species keep on popping into view. Where the action is good for much of the day. Where migrants mingle with coveted residents. Where mixed flocks of tanagers, woodpeckers, and whatever else make your head spin as they hurriedly forage their way through lush forest. I guess it’s a situation where the birding never seems to stop. There’s always more and it’s always exciting! It’s also fantastic when you bird with the right person or people,  and that’s why Costa Rica is also perfect for sharing with a birding partner and friends. As a bonus, heck, a birder doesn’t even have to take a trip with other birders to still connect with hundreds of species. Thanks to the abundant tourist offerings in Costa Rica, a birder can stay at key places with the family and sneak in early morning birding time during the trip with nary a critique from the non-birding ones.

The birding in Costa Rica really is easy and fantastic, as always, I hope every birder gets a chance to bird Costa Rica at least once in their lives. Need guiding and/or help to set up your trip? I would love to help. I know some excellent birding tours offered for great prices and can also set up custom trips. Contact me at information@birdingraft.com

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Birding Costa Rica Introduction

Thinking of Birding in Costa Rica? Sign up for a Natura Birding Tour!

When taking a birding trip to Costa Rica, there are two basic ways to do it. Either (1), do the trip on your own, or (2) take a birding tour. The first option guarantees adventure and that’s why a lot of people opt for the latter. It’s easier to let someone else take care of logistics, accommodation, and transportation in a foreign country, especially if you don’t speak the local lingua franca. For those reasons, a lot of folks go the tour route even if they aren’t birders but people who would rather focus on seeing as many species of glittering hummingbirds, trogons, and tanagers as possible have yet another major incentive for taking a tour.

When venturing into uncharted birding territory, a birding guide helps you see more birds. That’s true for any place on the globe but especially so in tropical regions such as Costa Rica. You see, the birdwatching dynamics aren’t the same as in the temperate grasslands, coniferous forests, and hardwood forests you may be familiar with. As with  most tropical forests, while there are hundreds of bird species in Costa Rican habitats, the birding comes with a subtle but definite catch. Instead of coming out of the underbrush with a simple spish or revealing themselves every 2 minutes, most of those species are naturally rare because they occur in low density populations. Add that natural rarity to shy, unobtrusive behavior along with a natural penchant to stay hidden, and a lot of those birds can very hard to find!

Seeing them requires time, patience, and luck but the odds will be upped in your favor if you bird with someone who knows where to look for them, how to recognize the scarce resources they use, and perhaps most of all, someone who recognizes their vocalizations. Bird with someone like this and you will certainly see a lot more bird species than birding on your own for the first time in Costa Rica. Of course, to see certain targets and maximize species, you also have to visit a key set of sites. I mention all of this because in February, 2013, I am going to help guide a Natura Tours Birding Tour to Costa Rica.

I normally stick to guiding clients on day trips and short tours on my own, but what can I say, I like this company! Set up by an enthusiastic Canadian naturalist who knows Costa Rica quite well, Natura Tours is serious about making efforts to run tours in an ethical, sustainable fashion. A portion of the proceeds for each tour go to local conservation efforts, and the company also has a set of ethics and values that are followed.

The tour will visit classic sites such as Carara (south Pacific rainforest, wetlands, and dry forest), Monteverde (dry forest, moist forest, and cloud forest), La Selva (Caribbean lowland rainforest), San Gerardo de Dota (high elevation forest), and Braulio Carrillo National Park (foothill rainforest). While these sites are visited on many other tours, what those other tours don’t have is someone on the ground who can extensively scout out the trip beforehand to see where rarities are hanging out, where fruiting and flowering trees are attracting the birds, and other tidbits that result in a higher number of bird species during the tour. Yes, I will be doing just that. It’s something I do on a regular basis anyways but I will be putting some extra time and effort into it in the two weeks before the tour.

While I probably won’t guide the entire tour, I will be there for much of the itinerary. The tour will also be co-led by friend and fellow birder Steve Pike. Steve started out at a young age like myself and it shows in natural, excellent fieldcraft honed from years of birding and guiding at Point Pelee. Dedicated to seeing as many birds and experiencing as much of the natural world as he can, Steve has traveled extensively and taken thousands of pictures of birds wherever he goes. Since he is also one of the more positive individuals you will probably ever meet (no exaggeration!), he makes for an excellent, always helpful tour leader

While the complex nature of birding in the tropics always makes it tough to hazard a guess at the numbers and species of birds to be encountered on any tour, the following represent some of the more exciting birds that will probably be encountered. I base that statement on having birded those sites for several years as well as knowing stakeouts for species mentioned:

Costa Rica birding tour

Sunbittern: A very good chance at this bird during time in Sarapiqui.

Costa Rica birding tour

Bat Falcon: Uncommon but I know at least a few reliable sites for it on the tour.

Costa Rica birding tour

Crimson-fronted Parakeet along with at least 12 other parrots, macaws, and parakeets.

Costa Rica birding tour

28 or more species of hummingbirds including the surreal Snowcap.

Costa Rica birding tour

R. Quetzal.

Costa Rica birding tour

The gorgeous Turquoise-browed Motmot.

Costa Rica birding tour

Collared Redstart

Add a litany of tanagers, trogons, wrens, toucans, woodpeckers, and flycatchers and it’s going to be a fantastic, bird-filled trip! To see testimonials from birders I have guided, please see the comments for this post. Hope to see you on the tour in February!