During a year of birding in Costa Rica, I usually end up visiting most major parts of the country. By “major”, I mean principal ecoregions like the dry forests of the northwest, lowland Caribbean slope rainforest in the east, high elevation oak forest, and other habitats that culminate in a fantastic variety of birds. Such visits typically boost my year list to at least 600 species by June (I’m at 620 now).
Amazingly, there’s still a bunch more to make it onto my birds of 2025 but that’s because although Costa Rica is small, this nation is big on birds. It’s the perfect place to go birding and proudly state, “Keep on a birding and them species keep on a rolling in!”, or, er, something along those lines.
In any case, it would be mildly fulfilling to see a tee-shirt extolling that happy virtue. I’d sure wear it, especially while guiding a tour and especially if it showed a calling bellbird topped with a “chonete” (a type of small, Costa Rican hat). I’d also accidentally model such an expression of birding joy at a mall, or a party, function, or any venue that presents itself for possible bird promotion (which is basically anywhere). I’d wear it because that bellbird would be speaking truth for most birding sites in Costa Rica, even areas an hour’s drive from San Jose.
Someone give that bird a chonete!
One of those easily accessible birding spots is also one of the places I visit the most. Seated just on the other side of the continental divide north of Alajuela, the Varablanca area has some of the closest quality habitat near the Central Valley. There’s some high elevation cloud forest, middle elevation cloud forest, and, if you drive just a bit further, the famous Cinchona Hummingbird Cafe.
This past weekend, I shared some fine birding in that area with a friend. Check out some of the highlights:
Ornate Hawk-Eagle soaring like a boss
An impressionist inspired shape of an Ornate Hawk-Eagle from another day and place. Dude still gives the hefty feels though.
I’ll put this highlight first. Seems like a fitting spot for it, especially with views of that hefty soaring raptor in mind. Mike spotted it and we eventually got fantastic, close looks when it soared right overhead!
This mega raptor species is regular on the Legua road but it’s still easy to miss. I was very pleased we saw this one and could marvel over its odd projecting head, getting dived on by Swallow-tailed Kites, and calling in response to my whistled imitation of the bird’s vocalizations!
Green-fronted Lancebill hanging at a clear, rushing stream
A lancebill from another time and place.
The hummingbird with the needle beak is also regular at Varablanca but, like the eagle and so many other naturally uncommon birds, you just never know if you’ll see one! Thankfully, upon checking one of the streams, we had excellent views of a lancebill perched on a typical streamside twig.
Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl comes out to toot hello
It took a couple tries but yes, the rufous morph Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl revealed itself once again! It’s pretty nice to have regular views of thus uncommon bird especially because you never know how long it will be around that site (especially with a bit of illegal deforestation going on pretty much right in its territory).
More must occur at various spots on that road but the only one I regularly hear and see is the bird we watched on Saturday.
Scaly-throated and Lineated Foliage-gleaners
Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner is sort of rare in Costa Rica and the Lineated has become much less common. It was a right birding bonus to see both in the same morning!
Heard Only Bellbird and Quetzal
At one point, we both caught the faint, odd sound of a distant bellbird, one that must be a juvenile male. I figure its the same one I’ve heard in that general area a few times. Unfortunately, it’s always been too far off road to see but it’s still good to know that one’s around.
We also had one distant heard only quetzal. Although quetzal wandering makes them unpredictable, I still typically find and see one or more on this road. I sure tried on Saturday but nope, we only heard one calling from way inside the forest. I can’t blame it, if I was a natural denizen of that area, I’d be hanging way inside the forest too.
Nice Hummingbirds at Cinchona
Eventually, we made our way to Cinchona where we shared space with the typical bunch of weekend visitors. Happily, it was good for hummingbirds and we scored all the regulars except for Green Thorntail.
The male Black-bellied made several appearances and we had a few visit from a rare White-bellied Mountain-gem too! On another note, the folks at Cinchona made the feeder set up look more natural but also cut down part of a tree and removed some vegetation. The birds should still come in but I really hope they stop cutting trees.
Black-bellied Hummingbird could also be called, “Goofy Square-headed Hummingbird”.
After Cinchona, we also got in a bit of birding in foothill forests near San Miguel and the drive to La Selva but heavy rains had finally caught up with us. Even so, we still managed to identify 133 species for the day, more than 70 of which were near Varablanca. Not a bad total, especially with rain largely eliminating key afternoon birding time the list being “padded” with very few waterbirds.
I still need to get up to that Varablanca area before dawn, see if I can catch a whiff of a dawn singing Strong-billed Woodcreeper, maybe hear a Highland Tinamou or some other uncommon bird. Hopefully that will happen soon. I don’t have much of an excuse not to; it only takes an hour to drive up to that bird happy wonderland.
Where do you want to go birding in Costa Rica? Everywhere is a good answer! Even so, just like all places, Costa Rica has its set of better sites and hotspots. To learn about them while supporting this blog, get my 900 plus page ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. I hope to see you here!
May 10th was the 10th edition of Global Big Day; a day where the celebration of birds is paramount. Although we could celebrate feathered life forms by raising glasses, baking cakes, or having bird call contests, those endeavors alone would not do them justice.
Instead, us birders laud birds and give them due respect by paying attention to them. Count a few birds, take a few bird walks, or delve into your birding core on wild, pre-determined missions of bird identification. No matter how you connect with birds, as long as you submit bird lists to eBird on May 10th, you are one of the many thousands of participants giving birds their due on Global Big Day.
This most recent Global Big Day, Costa Rica did its part. On May 10th, we had well over 900 birders submitting more than 3,000 checklists throughout the country. Check out the stats and these tidbits.
678 Species
As of May 12, this is the species total for GBD 2025 Costa Rica. It might drop or add a couple birds (like Lovely Cotinga, that was seen in a usual spot) so let’s say 675 to 680 species. Not bad for most of the migrants having already flown north!
In other words, most of these species are residents, nesting birds waiting to be seen on any given day, any time of the year. Among our local GBD bird stars were 40 species of diurnal raptors (yea, that many and that’s lacking a couple!), all 15 regular owl species, and all regular hummingbirds minus one.
This one was missing.
In Costa Rica, there’s a whole lot of birds going on.
Some Tough Birds Were Found
Perusing the final totals, these were some of the more challenging species recorded:
Tawny-faced Quail- at Laguna del Lagarto where it is always present but still really tough to see.
Rufous Nightjar- at a known spot near San Vito.
Christmas Shearwater (such a lovely if accidentally misleading name)- Uncommon but fairly regular in pelagic waters, perhaps more at this time of year. I got my lifer some years ago in June.
Red-throated Caracara- One of a literal handful of birds that still occur in the Osa Peninsula. How long will the hang on?
Red-fronted Parrotlet- Always tough although regular in the area where it was seen; at the Vista Aves Birding Lodge.
Rufous-rumped Antwren- A local and mostly inaccessible suboscine pseudo warbler.
Speckled Mourner- Before a population was found in northern Costa Rica, this bird was a basic no-show. Thankfully, a birder who often birds that site recorded it on May 10th, 2025.
Streaked Xenops- Another not so easy bird in Costa Rica best found by birding the right spots for it. Someone did just that.
This miniscule bird is a Streaked Xenops.
Gray-headed Piprites- Another tough one, thanks to a local guide having some located at Pavones, Turrialba, it graces our 2025 GBD list.
Crakes- Not so easy but now that we know where to see them and what they sound like, regular on the Costa Rica GBD list (although see misses below).
Rare Highlights and Surprises
The birds mentioned above are pretty darn good enough but we still had a surprise or two. Stand-outs included a rich male Cinnamon Teal at Hacienda Viejo Wetlands, and late migrants like Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and Cedar Waxwing (a rare one!).
Misses
The missed bird list gives an idea of which birds to not really expect on a birding trip to Costa Rica. Yes, you can still get them, especially if you know the ins and outs of birding sites in Costa Rica but they sure ain’t guaranteed.
Far from guaranteed.
Black-eared Wood-Quail, White-tailed Nightjar, Mangrove Rail, Spotted Rail, Paint-billed Crake, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird (which seems to be the only regularly occurring hummingbird in May that was missed), Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Spot-crowned Antvireo, Black-crowned Antpitta, Scaly-throated Leaftosser (this was maybe the biggest miss), Bare-necked Umbrellabird (another big miss but tough at this time fo year), Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Lanceolated Monklet, Great Jacamar, and Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch.
Team Tyto
This birding team is composed of myself and my partner Maryllen. Yes, we birded on May 10th and we birded a lot. Maybe too much. Thanks to one of my crazy ideas, we started in the middle of the night and scoured the land for birds from the midnight salt ponds of Punta Morales to the humid lands adjacent to Carara, and on and up to the misty highlands at Varablanca.
Alas, the charging station was not available where I had hoped to charge the car “Aguacatillo” (like inexplicably not working) and since we were feeling a particular brand of exhaustion that could not be cured by the best in coffee nor satisfied by Snickers bars, we called it a day and drove back downhill, back to the bustle and vehicles and people of the Central Valley.
We still saw and heard birds though, quite a lot including 16 diurnal raptors(!). We finished with 227 species, not a bad total, not all that bad for an avian landscape lacking in migrants, ending early, and excluding a late afternoon on the birdy Caribbean slope.
I hope you enjoyed GBD, 2025, I hope you celebrated those birds, I know I did! I still have visions of veritable facetime with a Striped Owl, shorebird silhouettes calling in the night, a close encounter with a Gray-headed Kite on the lower Cerro Lodge road, Flame-throated Warblers in a mixed flock, and so much more.
March is high time for birding in Costa Rica. For the most part, it’s still dry, birds are tuning up for the nesting season, raptor migration is happening, and Three-wattled Bellbirds are in the house! It’s a good time to be here. You could also run into umbrellabird, and maybe even one of those avian lottery winning antswarms.
It might have one of these.
If there’s any downside to March, it’s that temps tend to be hotter, most hotels are full, and there’s no Saint Patrick’s Day parades. Once again, I’ll miss the celebrations at the armory in Niagara Falls (have some beers for me!) but at least I’ll be seeing lots of cool birds. If you’ll be in Costa Rica these days, you’ll be seeing lots too. Check out these important local birding updates; they might help with your trip.
Sad Changes at Corso
If you drive to the La Paz waterfall Gardens or Cinchona, you’ll probably also pass by a sweet hummingbird hotspot known as “Corso“. The parking area for this dairy farm and their cafe has long been a regular hotspot for Scintillant Hummingbird and other glittering beauties.
However, after a recent visit, I think it’s going to be a while before we can see hummingbirds there again. Most of the Porterweed that had been growing in the parking lot has been removed. There’s a still a few plants and several might grow back but, for the moment, you’ll have to look for hummingbirds elsewhere. I can’t blame them for removing the plants, lately, they weren’t looking good and may have lived out their lifespan.
Less Parking, Fewer Hummingbirds at Cinchona
At Cinchona, there have also been a couple changes. For the most part, this hotspot still dishes up a beautiful selection of birds and there’s that sweet waterfall view. However, you might not see as many hummingbirds. Their numbers at Cinchona always vary and are probably related to flower prevalence in nearby areas as well as nesting behavior. Even so, I’ve never seen the feeders so quiet.
Hopefully that will change but, for the moment, you’ll need to curb your hummingbirding expectations. Another change at Cinchona involves parking. Overnight, the small corral across the street (and was housing for a donkey and a cow) became a tiny roadside diner. Yep, they are serving food out of there, right across the street from the Hummingbird Cafe. What that means for birders if that you can’t park across the street unless you are dining at the corral.
Poas Volcano is Acting Up
Poas Volcano has always been active but it doesn’t always erupt. Lately, though, it’s been doing some honest to goodness erupting. There hasn’t been any lava yet but there’s been plenty of ash and gases. The park is still open but that could change at any time.
Also, with all that erupting going on, I’m not so sure if the birding will be as good. For the moment, I’ve been staying away from the higher parts of the road to Poas. If you feel like you’d rather not visit that area, you’ll have to see the high elevation birds on the Irazu-Turrialba massif or on Cerro de la Muerte.
Umbrellabirds, Sharpbills, Oh My!
Challenging birds! Since the Sharpbills in Costa Rica and Panama might be an endemic species, that would be a particularly worthy bird to see. Local birders have been seeing these two gems and Yellow-eared Toucanet on the road to Manuel Brenes.
They have been attracted to the fruits of several Lauraceous trees about 1.2 kilometers in from the main road. I heard that those particular trees might not have fruit any more but maybe other ones in the area do. It’s worth checking, especially because this road can also turn up big mixed flocks, antbirds and the ground-cuckoo at ant swarms, Lattice-tailed Trogon, and many other species.
Cattle Tyrant on the Road to Cano Negro
Costa Rica’s first Cattle Tyrant turned up where we had expected it; around La Gamba, near the border with Panama. However, more have obviously been on the move because there’s at least one more at the opposite end of the country!
Yes, local birders have been twitching a Cattle Tyrant on the road to Cano Negro, in the San Emiliano wetland area. Since that bird is almost in Nicaragua, it seems there could easily be a few more hanging out with some of the many cows in other parts of Costa Rica. If you see a funny looking Tropical Kingbird foraging on the ground in a pasture, take a closer look.
Three-wattled Bellbirds near San Ramon
March is also a good time for bellbirds. Most are back on the breeding grounds and as long as males are calling, they are fairly easy to find. While Monteverde is the easiest place to see this fancy cotinga, some also occur in cloud forests near San Ramon.
They can still be hit and miss but you might find one by checking recent eBird sightings. Good areas to check include Quetzal Valley, the Bajo la Paz road to Catarata La Danta, and anywhere from Nectandra to the San Luis Canopy area. You might also find one on the road to Manuel Brenes but the easiest way to see one is to hire the Arias brothers. They live and guide in this area on a daily basis, and can bring you to bellbirds, nesting Ornate Hawk-Eagle, and quetzal (they even have one using a nest box).
Some of those birds might require some hiking but these guys can definitely help. Contact them at Ignacio Arias.
As always, there’s a lot more I could say but that’s all for now. I hope to see you here!
To support this blog and learn more about the birding sites mentioned in this post, get my 900 plus page birding site guide and ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica“. Happy birding!
“Canopy” has more meanings than you think. I hear or see the word and envision the most evasive and alluring parts of a forest. Canopy is where tree crowns could be topped with silent and colorful cotingas, a tip top might be graced by an Olive-sided Flycatcher, and where eagles nest.
An Ornate Hawk-Eagle from near Virgen del Socorro.
The canopy is irony in full view because you can look up into it but, you hardly see it, at least not from the ground. To experience the canopy, you have to somehow get up there, high into the squirrel and monkey walkways. Aptly named canopy towers help but in Costa Rica, for whatever reason, we don’t have many. Instead, we rely on views of steep slopes cloaked in mature forest, or bird from suspension bridges that cross steep and deep ravines.
A canopy is also a type of roof, and, in Costa Rica, a synonym for “ziplining”. Yes, put on the helmet, harness up, and you can canopy through the canopy. It’s exhilarating and you might see a good bird or two but it’s not the best way to bird the canopy. As with all birding, seeing those high level birds requires time and patience, a lot more than a pseudo flight through the forest.
If birding with family who want to go ziplining (most do and with good reason), this presents one of those common vacation birding conundrums. Basically, how do you please everyone, the birding you included? The easiest solution is to go birding in a place where you can watch birds while the non-birding fam can get their zipline canopy kicks. Luckily, in those regards, several ziplining spots work but one spot is especially fantastic.
That spot is the San Luis Canopy (aka Parque Aventura San Luis) and if you need to mix fam. canopy with your type of canopy, this is the place to do it. Heck, even if you aren’t with family and want to experience excellent birding, you can go to San Luis and do that too!
I was there today, here’s some of the latest birding news from this birding hotspot:
Bare-necked Umbrellabird
San Luis continues to be a reliable spot for this mega, crow-sized cotinga. Although it rarely comes to the edge (where the feeders are), you might see one on their hanging bridges trail. Lately, workers have been seeing at least back in those fine woods. Maybe you’ll see it too?
Tanager Fest
Lots of tanagers are still visiting the fruit feeder area including a couple of Blue-and-Gold Tanagers. They are joined by lots of Silver-throateds, a few Emeralds, Bay-headed, Scarlet-rumped, Crimson-collared, Palm, and Blue-gray Tanagers.
Keep watching and you’ll also get super close views of beautiful Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, Tawny-capped Euphonias, patriotic Clay-colored Thrushes, Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, and other species.
Keep watching the surrounding trees too, that’s where Black-and-yellow Tanagers occur along with White-ruffed Manakin, Tropical Parula, migrant warblers, and other birds.
Altitudinal Migrants
Some of those other birds may include Black-thighed Grosbeak, White-throated Thrushes, and Black-faced Solitaires. Lately, cool weather has driven these and some other species to lower, more food-rich environs. Might a Yellow-eared Toucanet show up? Maybe something else?
I heard one of these beauties today.
If you don’t see them at San Luis, head down the road and watch for fruiting trees, they might be there instead.
Scaled Antpitta, Purplish-backed Ground-Dove, and other Good Birds
Lately, the birder/workers at San Luis have also been seeing Scaled Antpitta. That’s not too surprising but they haven’t seen it before and it’s always a tough one to see. Interestingly enough, one of the birder workers related how a Scaled Antpitta seems to follow White-collared Peccaries.
He also mentioned that he has been seeing quite a few Purplish-backed Quail-Doves, and may have seen Strong-billed Woodcreeper in the back part of the forest. Although he hasn’t seen Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo lately, this site has been a good spot for that mega bird and it should show again, especially with Army Ants.
Speaking of Army Ants, they also regularly see Ruddy Woodcreeper along with other ant following birds. Sadly, one of the birds they have not seen lately is Ochre-breasted Antpitta. Although at least one was regular at the site for a while, they haven’t seen this species in a while. I wonder if it’s because of climate change driven warmer and drier weather.
Lattice-tailed Trogon
This toughest of Costa Rica trogons is also present although it seems to be restricted to the deepest part of the forest. It’s a bit of a walk but with umbrellabird, ground-cuckoo, and other species possible, yeah, it might be a good one to do!
Raptors
San Luis is also good for raptors. Today, they heard Ornate Hawk-Eagle calling just before we arrived and, just down the road, I had also glimpsed a soaring Black Hawk-Eagle!
Other regular raptors include Barred Hawk, Bicolored Hawk (although pretty uncommon), Double-toothed Kite, Barred Forest -Falcon sneaking around the forest, Short-tailed Hawk, and occasional Great Black Hawk. If you are extra lucky, you might even see Tiny Hawk.
An elusive Tiny Hawk.
Yep, San Luis Canopy is rocking! In a month or two, Three-wattled Bellbird should also be around, they have seen at least one Keel-billed Motmot, and other cool birds are a short drive down the main road. One of those is Tody Motmot. Despite what range maps show, this super cool bird also occurs at sites a 30 minute drive from San Luis. Lots of other birds do too, to look for them, contact Maylor Herrera. He’s the birder and employee at San Luis who shared a wealth of birding information with me today, including the fact that he’s found several territories of Tody Motmot and spots for White-tipped Sicklebill.
To visit San Luis, tanager viewing costs $12 while their longer, hanging bridges trail may cost $25 to $30. They also have a nice little restaurant and a bunch of good souvenirs, local craft beer included. As always, I look forward to my next visit.
To learn more about hundreds of birding sites in Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing my 900 plus page Costa Rica bird finding ebook. I hope to see you here!
Good birding sites in Costa Rica are too numerous to count. Anywhere with habitat will have birds, often, more birds than expected, even in the semi-urban locales of the heavily populated Central Valley. Even there, even among coffee field flanked by treed hedgerows, remnant riparian zones, and patches of hang-on woodlands, the motmots, migrants, and fancy tail Long-tailed Manakins party in massive, aged figs.
Short-tailed Hawks kite above, Gray Hawks call and flap-glide through neighborhoods, and you may hear the laugh of a Lineated Woodpecker through heavy traffic. As with all countries, Costa Rica is of course much birdier in wilder areas with more habitat and less people. Those places are always best but some certain areas still stand out, especially in terms of the numbers of species possible in a limited amount of time.
If you’re looking for major birding bang for your birding time, you can’t go wrong with these birding areas. You’ll see a lot in a day but you’ll want to stay longer, at least to feel like you’ve adequately birded the various habitats. That’s one of the main things these maxibird sites have in common and a grand reason to include them on a birding trip to Costa Rica. Indeed, we see them featured on many a tour itinerary.
The Carara Ecotone
By definition, any ecotone should have a good number of bird species. More habitats equal more birds and when you mash a bunch together, it can be bird pandemonium in the best sense. We got that fine situation going on in the Carara ecotone.
I think that really is the best way to put it because, around Carara, we have south Pacific rainforest, tropical dry forest, wetlands, an estuary, and mangroves. Throw in open habitats and second growth and it’s no surprise that more than 500 species have been recorded from the general area.
A morning of birding can easily break 100 species and a long day can reach 160. However, instead of overdoing it, you’ll maximize species totals if you stay 3 to 4 nights so you can spend birding time in each habitat.
Sarapiqui Lowlands
The Sarapiqui lowlands include the La Selva area, La Quinta de Sarapiqui, and any number of other eco lodges in the area. A nice and birdy combination of lowlands rainforest, wetlands, rivers, and second growth result in a fantastic array of species, a few highlights being Great Green Macaw, Snowy Cotinga, Semiplumbeous Hawk, and Pied Puffbird.
Sarapiqui also acts as a good base for visiting Cope’s place, Centro Manu, and foothill birding at Nectar and Pollen as well as Virgen del Socorro. A day’s birding in the right places can easily have more than 150 species. I have had 170 with roadside birding!
The La Gamba Area
La Gamba is this village at the edge of Piedras Blancas National Park, a protected area that includes rainforests connected to the Osa Peninsula. They’ve got the same suite of species and because they are also just a bit closer than the Osa, many birding groups stay at Esquinas Lodge near La Gamba instead of driving all the way into the peninsula (which is also excellent birding).
The Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager only occurs in and around the Osa peninsula.
Like other max. species sites, La Gamba has this ecotone going on that generates constant avian action. You’ll need at least a few days to soak up open and second growth habitats, and forest action with local Black-cheeked Ant-Tanagers, Baird’s Trogons, mixed flocks, raptors, and more.
A bit further afield, you’ll find a variety of local species in wetlands, open habitats, mangroves, and other forest around Ciudad Neily and Rincon de la Osa.
Monteverde
Monteverde has become such a major destination, non-birding visitors have long outnumbered the true birders. I only mention that so you don’t become surprised at the number of buses and people you see in the area.
Even so, it still has wonderful birding and chances at large numbers of species. No, not as many as lowland areas but it comes close! As with any excellent birding site, Monteverde makes it happen with habitat. There’s a good amount of forest around town, at many of the hotels, and of course in the excellent reserves.
Bird dry habitat on the way there as well as the mature forests at Curi-Cancha, and other reserves and you’ll see a heck of a lot in an area replete with good restaurants and other tourism infrastructure.
Arenal
Like Monteverde, the Arenal area has become a major destination. It’s hard to believe that the first time I visited Fortuna, I exited a bus onto a dirt road pocked with large puddles and paid close to nothing to stay in some small, anonymous place.
Since then, the place has drastically changed but so have the birding opportunities. Numerous reserves, birding roads, open areas and some wetlands provide excellent opportunities to see literally hundreds of lowland and foothill rainforest species. Add on a trip up to Cano Negro from Arenal and you’ll leave the area with a huge number of species including a good selection of uncommon and local birds.
Ruta 126- Costa Rica’s “Via Endemica”
This birding area might not be as well known as the ones mentioned above but it can still turn up a similar number of species. Once again, it’s all about the extent and variety of habitats and on and near Ruta 126, you’ll pass through a bunch.
You have to know where to stop but there are chances at some dry forest and Central Valley birds, high elevation species on Poas Volcano, middle elevation species a bit lower down, and foothill birds below that. Although I typically show people birds from the higher and middle elevations, on longer days, I’ve found more than 150 species. Work the sites on and near this road over several days and you might see 300 species.
I don’t call it Via Endemica for nothing either; it’s good for everything from Fiery-throated Hummingbird to Sooty-faced Finch and Copper-headed Emerald (among many others), and, best of all, it’s one of the closest birding sites to the Central Valley.
These are some principal maximum species sites that come to mind but they aren’t the only ones in Costa Rica. Several other birding areas could also make it onto this list and then there are sites particularly suited for various target birds (see my Costa Rica bird finding ebook to learn about those and hundreds of other birding sites in Costa Rica). Suffice to say, go birding in Costa Rica and it’s gonna be good. Go birding at the places mentioned above and be forewarned, you might feel happily overwhelmed!
This is 2025. This is the latest of the “new years” and you can bet that 1,000s of birders are already working on their year lists. Or just keeping track of the birds they identify, or traveling to see birds, or simply watching and enjoying birds. Pausing to focus on a cardinal’s red plumage punctuating a snowy landscape. Hearing the echoes of crow calls as a cold breeze sneaks through quiet and suspended winter woods.
In Costa Rica, I have been catching the voices of chattering parakeets flying from morning roosts, interrupted by the shouts of Great Kiskadees, and seen a few hundred other birds. Yes, a week into 2025 and already more than 300 species and if you do enough birding in Costa Rica, that’s more than normal. Bird enough for a week in the right places and 300 plus birds are expected.
Thanks to guiding in some of the right places, I’ve also been fortunate to begin this year with several quality birds. All birds are good to see but, whether because of scarcity or anti-social behavior, some are more challenging or unexpected than others; such are the “quality birds”. Those are the pearls, emeralds, and aquamarines of our ongoing feathered treasure hunt and when you keep a year list, they are also the double and triple bonus birds. These are the some of the more polished avian gems I’ve seen during this first week of 2025. There won’t be many pictures but I’ll try and tell you what it was like to experience them.
Black-eared Wood-Quail
Misty, breezy mornings aren’t the best for birding but they’ll give you thought-provoking ambiance. I was doing my best to whistle in birds and eke them out of mossy cold front surroundings on the dead end road to Sensoria. Yeah, it might sound like a scene from a dystopian tale (especially with signs warning us of imminent volcanic danger) but no, literally, that’s what we were doing.
Such a road exists on the northern, forested flank of Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and, if you catch it right, you’ll have fantastic birding. “Right” being calm and dry weather, and us birding in waves of terrestrial clouds, the birding was rather challenging. However, we still saw and heard birds, uncommon ones too, birds like Black-eared Wood-Quail.
They never came close enough to see but it was rewarding to hear their voices rock and roll in our wonderfully forested surroundings. This is the rarest wood-quail in Costa Rica, one only seen in the more remote and intact rainforests of the Caribbean slope, especially foothill sites on the northern volcanoes.
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
An Ornate Hawk-Eagle from another year near Virgen del Socorro.
I saw this bird just yesterday, I can still see the heavy raptor flap its way along a ridge line above Cinchona. Yeah, the famous birding cafe with feeders and photographers and smiling people is home to a pair of Ornate Hawk-Eagles. They might not pay a visit, might prefer to freak out their fellow forest denizens away from people but you can bet they check it out, at least on occasion.
With so many Black Guans coming to the feeders these days, maybe one of the hawk-eagles will make a play for one? They do eat them you know, those and even macaws and small monkeys. I suppose that’s unsurprising for a hefty, monster goshawk, that’s sort of what an Ornate Hawk-Eagle is.
I saw that choice bird thanks to Niall Keogh. While birding in “Old Cinchona”, he spotted it soaring at a distance, a non vulture using the same thermals as a Black Vulture. If you are ever in Ireland and wouldn’t mind some guided birding, Niall will show you more than you think was possible.
Lesser Ground-Cuckoo
The easiest ground-cuckoo is common in Costa Rica but it’s always a quality bird. How not with those Egyptian flavored eyes?
Lesser Ground Cuckoo creeping away.
On January 1st, we had one while birding the Ceiba-Orotina road, more or less by accident. Stripe-headed Sparrows were high-pitch chipping from some brush. Common birds, easy to see but still nice to look at. Must have been why I automatically raised my bins.
I glimpsed a sparrow tail but found myself focusing in on the painted face of a ground-cuckoo! Happily, the bird stayed long enough for all of us to see it.
Bare-necked Umbrellabird
Whoah! Yes, that early in the year. Go to the right place for it, hang out long enough, and you might see one. At least that was my chance strategy. Unless you find the right fruiting tree in the right place, that really is about all you can do; I’m glad that birding gambit paid off!
Niall and had already been trudging through the mud-root trail at Centro Manu for a couple hours. We had heard and seen some manakins and a few other birds but not a whole lot else. I knew umbrellabird had to be in there but despite the bird’s silence and crow dimensions, it’s still a crapshoot. All you can do is stop every few steps, scan the forest and repeat, keep on and hope you notice something fly or a dark bird obscured by green that doesn’t end up being a toucan or an oropendola.
I had stopped and noticed palm nuts on the ground, food that can attract rodents and, in turn, snakes. I scanned the ground, wondering if I might discern a hidden serpent when I was interrupted by a large black shape flying past us at close range.
“Umbrellabird! There it is!”
Thankfully, this odd bird of birds perched nearby and stayed there, only 20 feet above the ground. It didn’t seem to be afraid of us as we watched it at leisure, watched the adult make Bare-necked Umbrellabird slowly turn its head back and forth, using its big obsidian eyes to peer into the forest.
We marveled in the rare moment and how much it resembled a goliath manakin topped with a pompadour, how its neck was touched with shining iridescence. A truly unreal bird, a reminder that our world, this natural place, is replete with living treasure.
The umbrellabird swooped to another perch to do the same forest scanning moves and then another, eventually moving out of sight although not before we saw it catch and eat a huge insect, one as big as a frog. I was reminded of Accipiters and owls that do the same act, moving from one perch to another, always stopping to carefully watch for prey.
We saw one umbrellabird but there’s more at Centro Manu. The local guide there, Kenneth, has also recently seen a female and immature (and Crested Owl and other birds). You might want to visit.
Snowy Cotinga
After the umbrellabird, we enjoyed lunch at Centro Manu and ventured onwards. Opting to look for lowland birds around La Selva, we enjoyed views of Chestnut-colored Woodpecker and some other key birds but no Snowy Cotinga.
Chestnut-colored Woodpcker is a quality, must-see bird too!
I figured we would check a spot near Chilamate where I have often seen the surreal things. That figuring paid off, that and maybe the luck of the cotinga because, amazingly, a male was waiting for us. As I pulled into the road, I noticed a bird perched on top of a bare tree. It looked small, it couldn’t be but, I had to of course check it.
It turns out it wasn’t as small as I had assumed. The perched thingee was a full white bird with the slightest hint of gray on its head, a short tail, funny shaped head and beady black eye. That’s what a male snowy Cotinga looks like, we hadn’t even stepped out of the car!
We had also arrived just in time, two minutes later it swooped off and away to hidden branches.
All motmots
Grainy Tody Motmot, near dark conditions.
Six motmot species reside in Costa Rica, not all of them are easy to see. As luck would have it, I was in the right places to see all six of them. Turquoise-browed was an easy, Rollerish and lapis, mosaic-pieced bird on wires near Orotina (more than one).
Broad-billed and Rufous were rainforest beauties in expected places. As per usual, the Rufous grandfather-clocked its tail back and forth, pausing before switching it back to the other side.
The tough ones were at Rincon de la Vieja, on that same mossy road where wood-quail rollicked and Nightingale Wrens enticed. Thankfully, the Tody Motmot responded to my whistling and perched within easy sight. It’s not like other motmots; more like a green puppet with a fancy face. Then again, all motmots got puppet attributes but the Tody would still be most at home on a children’s show.
The other tough one was the Keel-billed Motmot, another green beauty just up the road from where we took in the Tody.
Then there’s the final motmot, the 6th and easy, common one. No less beautiful, we saw a Lesson’s Motmot in an expected place and situation; perched on a concrete post next to shaded coffee.
Rufous-breasted Antthrush
If birders in Costa Rica see an antthrush, it’s usually the Black-faced variety. That’s still a great bird to see, still a forest-crakish creature that whistles far below crowns of massive trees. However, Costa Rica also has two other antthrushes, two other species less frequently seen, one of which is probably also endemic to Costa Rica and Panama (a classic, intriguing “future split”).
That would be the Black-headed Antthrush, a bird fairly easy to hear in several foothill spots and, not too tough to see at Pocosol and some other sites. The other antthrush is the Rufous-breasted, the toughest and least common of the three in Costa Rica. You’ll hear it at Tapanti and a few other spots but laying eyes on it is another story.
Cotinga luck being with us, we found ourselves in that other story on the track above Cinchona. It’s a slippery road, unless you are very fit and into hiking and fending off confused friendly dogs that become unfriendly, I can’t recommend it. But, the forests up there do have some good birds (see above for Ornate hawk-Eagle), tough antthrush included.
We heard at least three and one sounded close enough to give it a try. However, I knew it would still be a challenge as we still needed a view into the dense forest understory, a spot where we could see the ground to watch the bird walk into view (such is the antthrush way).
Fantastically, after a good deal of speaking with the bird in its whistle language, it gave us a break and popped into sight! It was just a moment but that span was enough to claim views of polished jasper, of a bird that brings me back to the Andes; a Rufous-breasted Antthrush.
Blue-and-Gold Tanager
It’s gorgeous, it’s a tanager, and it’s not easy to see. Well, these days, it is! Go to the San Luis Adventure Center and one might fly into your face. Not quite but close.
With such unruly cool and wet weather for so long, cloud forest birds are having trouble finding their favorite fruits. They’re moving to lower elevations and doing whatever it takes to survive. One of those actions is eagerly feasting on bananas or plantains or other stuff at the San Luis Canopy.
When the guy walked in with the fruit, tanager madness took place. There were maybe 30 Silver-throateds, a few Emeralds, and other birds that literally flew at us and perched within arm’s length. Two of those other birds were chunkier and bigger than the other tanagers and plumaged in yellow and dark, blackish-blue.
Yes, Blue-and-Gold Tanagers, uncommon Bangsia genus tanagers of fantastic mossy forest, just the type of habitat at the San Luis Canopy.
During this first week of birding, I also had other nice birds, lots, including Long-billed Dowitcher (it’s uncommon in Costa Rica!), two massive muppet Great Potoos, beautiful Bay-headed and Crimson-collared Tanagers and more. There’s always lots more birds waiting to be seen in Costa Rica.
To learn more about the sites mentioned in this post and how to see these and hundreds of other birds, support this blog by purchasing my Costa Rica bird finding guide, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica“. I hope you see these birds, I hope to see you here in Birdlandia.
Going birding in Costa Rica? If your answer is “yes” but any time from January to March, you aren’t alone. After all, those sunny days are when most folks visit Costa Rica, birders included.
However, if you are headed to Costa Rica soon, the following birding tidbits and news items might be helpful. You might also gather some useful information if you happen to go birding in Costa Rica during the high and dry season.
Rain, Localized Flooding, and More Rain
Lately, we’ve been experiencing a lot of rain. For a Costa Rican September, that’s pretty much par for the course but lately, it seems to be more intense than usual. Nearby tropical storm systems and hurricanes have been throwing huge amounts of moisture our way and the water has been slamming several parts of the country.
It’s not always like that; some years, September and October are fairly dry. This year though, the forests are getting more than plenty of life-supporting water. It’s a wonderful and vital aspect of rainforests but roads and flood prone areas could use a break.
Yes, there has been some localized flooding, mostly in the Nicoya Peninsula, the Coto 47 area near Ciudad Neily (one of hundreds of sites covered in my bird finding guide for Costa Rica), and on parts of the Pacific Coast. Last week, various parts of the small city of Canas were also submerged. With more rain in the forecast, we can expect more localized flooding and road closures. Stay informed about road situations with the Waze app. That’ll tell you which roads are closed right away including one of the most commonly affected major highways; Route 32.
Just a reminder, if you are driving and see flooded streets and swollen rivers, resist the temptation to test the rental! Just wait or find another route because cars do get washed away, even trucks.
Migration Just Ticked up a Notch
On another, more birdy note, bird migration through Costa Rica has really kicked into gear. After checking local neighborhood habitat for the past week or so, it wasn’t until this morning that I saw a major jump in bird numbers.
While listening for flight calls at dawn, I managed to hear Dickcissels, a couple Swainson’s Thrushes and a hoped for Veery through the normal soundscreen inadvertently put up by Rufous-collared Sparrows and Great Kiskadees (those kiskadees really yell their names!).
As the light increased I saw a dozen Baltimore Orioles feeding and flitting in the trees, several Yellow Warbler, one Blackburnian, a smart looking Golden-winged Warbler (my first for the fall), several swallows, and a few other migrants. Two of the more interesting birds were a couple of Great Egrets that flapped right over the houses of my very urban neighborhood.
Later that morning, during a visit to Lankester Gardens, we had several more warblers (Canada and Mourning included) and migrants, especially Swainson’s Thrushes and Red-eyed Vireos.
A Good Time for Centro Manu
Centro Manu is always worth a visit, no matter what time of year. However, fall could be one of the better times to go birding at this easily accessible lowland/foothill hotspot.
Recent highlights have included the usual roosting Great Potoo, Bare-necked Umbrellabird, a female Lovely Cotinga (!), and Red-fronted Parrotlets!
Ditto for Veragua Rainforest
What a shining, crazy-looking bird!
The same goes for another excellent site, Veragua Rainforest. The most notable recent highlights have been a reliable Great Jacamar and a more challenging Black-crowned Antpitta.
Umbrellabird and lots of other excellent birds have also been seen at this consistently high quality site.
Unspotted Saw-whet Owls
Yes, this time of year can also be good for one of the Costa Rica’s more challenging and fantastic owls. If the rain stops and you can listen for them at high elevations (above 2,200 meters), perhaps especially in semi-open areas, you might connect with this major bird.
You can also boost your chances by staying at Gema del Bosque or taking a tour that targets these special little birds. If interested in seeing this owl, contact me at information@birdingcraft.com
Flamingo in Costa Rica!
Wait…what?!? Yes, the real pink bird has finally touched down on Costa Rican shores. Myself and one or two other birders have wondered when one would appear here, it’s why I included it on the Costa Rica Birds app as a possible species for the country (along with several shorebirds, Red-throated Pipit, and some other bird lottery winning species). In all likelihood, it happens on very rare occasions but the birds don’t linger. The nearest flamingoes are in northern Colombia and the Yucatan, the one seen this morning could have come from either spot.
This morning, someone made a video of an America Flamingo on the beach near Moin! Will it be refound? I hope so and hope even more that it stays long enough for us to see it too!
As for other Costa Rica birding news, there’s always lots more I could say. However, I’ll just mention that the usual birds are in the usual spots, whether mentioned on eBird or not, the best sites are the places with the most habitat, and according to eBird, 746 bird species were identified in Costa Rica during this past month. Yep, in Costa Rica, there’s always a lot of birds to see! I hope to see you here, the birds are waiting.
You might see a Three-wattled Bellbird around there.
Summer is here! Yeah, it’s still May but why beat around the bush? On the northern breeding grounds, a bevy of warblers are singing from fresh-foliaged woods. Ruffed Grouse are mixing it up with sub-sonic beats, Scarlet Tanagers are blazing through the woods, and Eastern Kingbirds are back on their royal territories.
An Eastern Kingbird pausing in Costa Rica on its way north.
I haven’t been up that way in many summers but the memories play easy. Mental recordings of American Goldfinches potato-chipping as they bounce through the air over sweet June hayfields. Chestnut-sided, Canada, and Mourning Warblers singing from Southern Tier thickets.
Warm weather was back and with it came baseball parades and the many other hallmarks of the grateful summer respite. It’s a fun and relaxing time up north, a fine span bereft of ice scrapers and eerie polar whispering. The weather is so generally welcome, travel can take a back seat and why not?
Why fly south when you can sip cold drinks in the warmth of your own backyard? Why travel when home is a bastion of garden beauty?
Whether you get on that plane or not depends on priorities. For example, unless you live in Monteverde, you can’t see Three-wattled Bellbirds at home. Can’t catch a glimpse of the secret glittering on Fiery-throated Hummingbirds, scan for soaring hawk-eagles, or stalk antbirds.
An antbird worth stalking.
Get on that plane to Costa Rica though, and you’ll be in range of those birds. Those and 100s of other species, even in the summer months. The resident birds don’t leave and summer might even be a better time to see them! Hundreds of bird species should be reason enough but of not, here’s some additional benefits of summer birding in Costa Rica:
A Time for Swifts
I know, maybe not the most colorful birds, perhaps not the birds that look like living feathered jewels. Birds nonetheless though, not easy to see at other times of the year, and with their own set of amazing abilities.
The swifts are always here too (at least as far as we know) but trust me, some species are far and away easier to see and identify than the winter months. “To see and identify” is key for these high-flying birds.
Let’s say you are birding Costa Rica in the winter and hit gold with a high wheeling King Vulture. As way up there as that jungle condor flies, you might pick up a few other birds above it. No, probably won’t spot them with the naked eye but in your binos, there they are, specking way up there, unidentified although you figure they must be swifts.
They are indeed swifts but which ones? Unless they call, no way to tell. Sorry, swift sp. they are and nope, that doesn’t help any but what can you do?
It’s not right but short of a super telescopic lens or mega focused listening device, those are the birding breaks.
The good news is that it’s not that way all year long. Once the rains start, all the swifts fly lower, even close enough to see actual, honest to goodness field marks!
Where do they fly you may ask? Oh, in lots of places, like even above my urban neighborhood. Just today, during post lunch relaxation on the couch, I swore I heard the pip pips of a Black Swift. At first, I thought I may have been tricked by some odd, distant calls of a Great-tailed Grackle but I went outside, looked up, and sure enough, yes!
There they were, swifts scything through nearby skies, even swooping low over houses. Black Swifts! Chestnut-collared Swifts zip zipping and either Spot-fronted and/or White-chinned Swifts higher up. Although they didn’t give away specific identification by calling or flying lower, they have on many other days. I’ve even seen both species flagrantly courting right over non-natural rooftops and urban streets.
Summer is a good time to connect with these birds, a nice bonus after watching a wealth of other, easier birds to see.
Bellbirds Anyone?
Summer is a darn good time to see bellbirds, and I mean ones with three crazy wattles. Although these mega cotingas are always present in Costa Rica, they aren’t always easy. During their non-breeding season (September to March), Three-wattled Bellbirds are mostly in less accessible areas.
Visit Costa Rica in winter and you might get lucky and see one but you’ll really be taking your chances. Go birding in Costa Rica now and it’s some pretty easy birding pie. Sure, you gotta go to the right places but that’s easy enough.
Try Monteverde, give the San Ramon cloud forests a shot, check out a few other breeding areas. The males are calling, put in some time and you should see them!
Male Three-wattled Bellbird.
Crakes and Masked Ducks
In these modern, connected birding days, we’ve got a lot of crake action locked in, all year long. Even so, the skulky ones are easier in the wet season. In Costa Rica, that would be summer.
Boat ride with a guide in Medio Queso and you’ll probably see Yellow-breasted Crakes. You might also see them in Coto 47 near Ciudad Neily. If not, save the birding at that big rich site for Paint-billed Crake and Gray-breasted Crake. Summer is a really good time to look for these challenging birds!
The rice fields are wet and those birds can be pretty common. With some effort, they can also be pretty easy to see! Same for Spotted Rail in Guanacaste rice fields.
The Zorro Duck is out there too, always a pain and unfriendly to birders but summer is a better time to see them. Check seasonal lagoons with lots of emergent vegetation, especially in Coto 47. Check them well too because Masked Ducks are aquatic, web-footed ninjas. Don’t worry, they don’t carry throwing stars or sharp knives but these masters of stealth can still cut in other, less visible ways. Scan carefully to bring the joy and avoid missed lifer pain.
What About the Rain?
All those birds sound nice and dandy but aren’t we missing something. Isn’t it going to rain all the time? Yeah, probably not.
Yes, there will be rain and it’ll probably be heavy. But, them sky torrents won’t be rushing 24/7. The natural tap doesn’t usually get turned until the afternoon. Morning is typically good and if it rains on and off, you’re in luck! Expect avian action all day long.
Yes, heavy rains can affect some roads and cause other issues but it shouldn’t be an entire wash out. Bird here in summer and you should connect with a good number of birds, uncommon and challenging ones included.
Thinking of birding in Costa Rica soon? It is summer and there’s rain but I wouldn’t worry too much. Instead, study field guides and birding apps for Costa Rica. Get “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica” to prepare for birding in Costa Rica and pick the best birding sites for your birding needs. Get ready because the birding in Costa Rica is excellent and exciting, even in the summer.
Birding in Costa Rica means a lot of birds. I often say something along those lines but hey, good news is worth repeating. But seriously, there really are a heck of a lot of birds in Costa Rica! Thankfully, a lot of places are home to lots of birds too but what makes Costa Rica stand out is the number of bird species you can see in a short amount of time.
During a week of birding in Costa Rica, you could easily see more than 300 species, maybe even 400. Heck, even during a few days of birding, you can see an impressive number of birds. You have to go to the right places, put in the time, and it helps knowing how to find birds in Costa Rica but seeing 100 plus species in a day isn’t that difficult.
Last week, one full day of birding yielded well over 100 species, and another morning turned up far less but included several rare species or regional endemics. Then there was the birding that yielded more than 170 species, all in one morning.
Where did I go? What did I see? Highlights? Lowlights? Check it out-
Sunday Morning on the Bijagual Road
This spot is the name I give to the road that goes from Villa Lapas to the village of Bijagual and on to Macaw Lodge. This birdy byway goes along and near the southern edge of Carara National Park. There are forests, second growth, fields, and 200 or so species (or more). I have wanted to do some dawn birding in that area for a while. Despite the early, night drive down to the lowlands, I’m glad we did it!
To be honest, I wanted to see how the road might work as a Big Day starting point. Would I hear some key Carara birds from the road? Might I find something else?
Although it didn’t yield the Big Day results I was hoping for, it was still a great morning of birding. In addition to expected macaws, trogons, and lots of other birdies, we also had a few less expected finds. I knew White-crested Coquette was possible but I also know it trends elusive. I can’t blame the bird, it’s just about bug size and has to constantly hide from the larger, more aggressive members of its family.
A male from another time and place. Females also have that orangey belly and a white throat.
BUT, at some flowering trees that were abuzz with hummingbirds, sure enough, we saw one! The bird was a female that popped in and out of view, not good for a photo but this was birding, NOT bird photography.
Other nice finds were hearing expected Marbled Wood-Quail, several Olivaceous Piculets, finding Pale-breasted Spinetail, and seeing the perched King Vulture shown above!
I can’t complain, in four hours of birding, we had 145 species.
Then, we did some quick birding around Tarcoles, mostly checking the shore and taking a peak at roosting Black and white Owls. We ended the morning with 171 species. Bijagual road and Tarcoles – eBird Trip Report
A Morning on Irazu
A few days later, I birded the Irazu area for the morning. First stop was a stop for Bare-shanked Screech-Owl. As it often does, a roosting bird was calling in the early morning but try as we did, we just couldn’t find it. I think it roosts deep in some extremely vegetated high elevation bush.
While we scanned for the owl from different angles, a Maroon-chested Ground-Dove started calling! I usually see this bird at the Nochebuena but do sometimes hear them on the main road just south of there. The dove came closer and I did glimpse it once in flight but nope, it never perched where I could put it in the scope.
Next stop was a road next to the entrance to the national park. It didn’t take long to find our two main targets; the Timberline Wren and the Volcano Junco. After that, we went to the Nochebuena cafe and trails to look for another ground-dove. It took a little while but we did eventually have looks at a perched male!
The Timberline Wren.
We also enjoyed the other regular birds, had brief but good views of Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge, and fantastic looks at a Bare-shanked Screech-Owl. Since we didn’t need to see the quetzal or pygmy-owl, we didn’t spend much time looking for those quality species before driving back at 11 a.m.
The following day was a full day of birding in highland habitats at and near Poas. The varied habitats and elevations always make for a good selection of birds and March 21st was no exception. This day, we got our fill of quetzal views along with looks at other expected high elevation birds.
Wrenthrush was sadly quiet but we still saw a bunch of other birds in the Varablanca area and then at Cinchona and Virgen del Socorro. Of those 129 species, highlights included Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, Black-bellied Hummingbird, silky-flycatchers, Flame-throated Warbler, and Yellow-winged Tanager.
Of yeah, and there was also an antswarm at Virgen del Socorro! Nothing too crazy but close looks at a few Zeledon’s Antbirds was nice and singing Ocellated Antbird in full view was even better!
On another day of birding that included some lower elevation sites, I had even more species (153)- March 13 2024 – eBird Trip Report
Overall, the total from two mornings of birding and one full day was 254 species. Like I was saying, within a short amount of time, you really can see an incredible number of birds in Costa Rica!
Quail-doves seem to herald from the realm of birding dreams. The plump birds aren’t quails but you could be excused for believing it. They are indeed doves but are a far cry from those everyday, easy-peasy Mournings.
Instead of sitting in the open or easing on down the middle of a road, quail-doves lurk in the shadows. Shy by nature, quail-doves are careful. I can’t blame them. I mean if I had to walk the same forest floor as hungry Ocelots, boas, and other animals that couldn’t wait to devour me, I’d be pretty darn timid too!
Most forest floor birds are careful but quail-doves take it to another level of caution. They have to because unlike somberly plumaged wrens, antbirds, and Swainson’s Warblers, quail-doves are downright fancy.
They got cool little face patterns and patches of iridescence that transform them into beautiful little birds. Quail-doves can still sort of blend in but not if they take bold steps, and definitely not in open habitats.
All of that cautious behavior makes quail-doves somewhat more challenging to see than other birds. You can still find them, sightings can happen (!) but only if you get lucky, or play by quail-dove rules.
Those would be:
Walking slow and careful like a quail-dove.
Keeping silence. Forget talking, better to not even whisper.
Keep an eye on the forest floor in mature forest, especially below fruiting trees.
Listen for and track down calling quail-doves.
Yeah, that’s especially challenging in group birding situations and requires a high degree of patience but what are you gonna do? Thems are the quail-doves rules!
Now that you have a fair idea of how to look for quail-doves, here’s some tips to identify them in Costa Rica. The two main problematic species are the first ones mentioned, I’ll mostly focus on them.
Buff-fronted Quail-Dove vs. Purplish-backed Quail-Dove
The Monteverde parking lot Buff-fronted Quail-Dove (aka “Super Friendly”) Purplish-backed Quail Dove on the trail at Pocosol- a rough picture but it does reflect how they are often seen.
Way back when, in more ecologically healthy times, ancestors of these two species took two different paths. One preferred the high road, and the other, the not so high road. After long years of separation, one became the Buff-fronted and the other the Purplish-backed.
Despite their names, these two species can look a lot more similar than you think, especially when they give you typical, few second, quail-dove views The heavily shaded, understory conditions don’t help either!
Both have a similarly patterned, mostly gray head, dark back, and gray underparts. If you know what to look for, separating the two isn’t all that problematic. Confusion stems from the color of the back, and expecting to only see Buff-fronteds at high elevations.
Regarding their back, the Buff-fronted’s is maroon-brown, maybe with a hint of burgundy; a color that can easily make you wonder if it might actually be some shade of purple. Focus on that tint, especially if the quail-dove is in middle elevation cloud forest, and it’s easy to enter it into eBird as a Purplish-backed.
If you see a quail-dove like this at high elevations, yes, without a doubt, Buff-fronted. Purplish-backeds only typically range up to around 1,200 meters or so. But what about the adventurous Purplish-backeds that walk a bit higher? What about Buff-fronteds that commonly range down to 1.200 meters or even lower?
Oh yeah, they can overlap! Buff-fronteds stroll at lower elevations than you think. Perhaps they are limited to old second growth in such elevations? Maybe other odd situations such as the feeders at Cinchona?
Whatever the case, you CAN see these two birds in the same area. That just means that in places where foothill rainforest transitions to cloud forest, you can’t assume identification based on elevation.
Instead, if you see a quail-dove at Cinchona or other spot with similar elevation, focus on these main field marks:
See if the bird has a buff or just pale gray front- The Buff-fronted lives up to its name. The Purplish-backed has a pale gray front.
Look at the back- If the bird has a green nape, and the back and wings are the same maroon-brown color, it’s a Buff-fronted. If the bird has a distinct amethyst purple patch on its back that contrasts with duller brown wings, hello Purplish-backed!
A much nicer picture of a Purplish-backed Quail-Dove from the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. This picture was taken by Josh Beck.
Ruddy Quail-Dove vs. Violaceous Quail-Dove vs. White-tipped Dove
A Ruddy Quail-Dove from Luna Lodge, Costa Rica, a place where it is common.
In general, these are pretty easy. Both Ruddy and the rare Violaceous have reddish beaks but Ruddy is more brownish or red-brown with pattern on its head while Violaceous has a more uniform grayish head and contrasting white underparts.
Based on its general plumage pattern, the Violaceous might remind you of a White-tipped Dove. However, if that “White-tipped” has a red beak , grayish head, and rufous tail, it’s a Violaceous Quail-Dove.
Chiriqui Quail-Dove
This hefty quail-dove is pretty easy. No other quail-dove in Costa Rica is brown with a gray cap.
Olive-backed Quail-Dove
Another easy quail-dove, at least to identify. It’s the only one that has mostly dark gray plumage and a white mark on its face.
Quail-doves are some of the tougher birds to see in Costa Rica. They require a special type of patience and can be especially tough on group birding tours. However, play by their rules and you can see them!
Maybe not the Violaceous but if you go to the right places, the other quail-doves for sure! Learn more about seeing quail-doves and other birds in Costa Rica with “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. Use it to get ready for your birding trip to Costa Rica and see hundreds of bird species. I hope to see you here!
