Tanagers are a very large New World family of birds with more than forty species in Costa Rica. Although tanagers come in many colors and patterns, there are only two species with all red males. Unlike the much rarer Hepatic Tanager (Piranga flava), the Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) has a light-colored bill. Summer Tanagers can be found all over Costa Rica, except in the highest elevations.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
During breeding season, male Red-legged Honeycreepers (Cyanerpes cyaneus) are fairly easy to spot with their bright red legs, sapphire blue body, and turquoise crown. In the off season, however, they look more like the olive green females of the species, but keep their black wings and tails.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Resplendent Quetzals (Pharomachrus mocinno) are part of the trogon family, and while the females of this dimorphic species do look like other trogons, male Resplendent Quetzals are, well, quite resplendent! I’ve always thought they looked more like elaborate women’s hats than birds, with their frizzy heads, extra long upper-tail coverts, and fancy shoulders. Resplendent Quetzals live in limited regions of the central highlands, and I’ve only seen them in one area near the upper Savegre River valley where these dandies were photographed.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Female Black-throated Trogons (Trogon rufus) are colored differently than the males of the species. Instead of a green hood and a black throat, the females are a lovely brown. Although pairs of these wide-eyed birds are never far apart, I’ve rarely seen them sitting together.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
With the discipline of a yogi, this Bare-throated Tiger Heron holds its pose and warms its wings in the evening sunlight near Tortuguero.
Bare-throated Tiger Herons (Tigrisoma mexicanum) are distinguished from other tiger herons by the yellow skin below their long beaks. These striped birds are common in the low wetlands, marshes, and mangroves, of Costa Rica, especially on the Caribbean side.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Eight manakin species live in Costa Rica, but within somewhat separate and limited territories. Red-capped Manakins (Pipra mentalis) are perhaps the most common, located on much of the Caribbean slope as well as the southern Pacific region, where this one was photographed. A dimorphic species, the males have shiny black bodies, bright red hoods, and yellow thigh feathers, while the females are olive green. These little woodland birds with stout beaks are primarily frugivorous, meaning they mostly eat fruit.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
A Brown Pelican takes flight over the Golfo Dulce on a sunny day in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.
With their large, distinctive bills, Brown Pelicans (Pelicanus occidentalis) are easy to identify on the Pacific coast, where they are most prolific. They soar a few feet above the waves, scan for fish, and dive head first into the water to scoop up a meal.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
During birding tours in Costa Rica, I have generally dismissed hummingbird identification as too difficult. They flit about very quickly, and are extremely challenging to photograph. Even when they rest on a branch for a moment, they are tiny, and their jewel-like feathers shimmer as they shift about, making coloration and markings hard to discern with confidence. I think this is probably a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilla tzacatl) based on its solid, ruddy tail and the site where these photographs were taken. Even if I’m mistaken, it’s fun to have at least a couple snapshots of a hummingbird doing what it does best: hovering with its long bill buried in bright-colored flowers, drinking nectar.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) can be distinguished from other white herons in Costa Rica by their slender black bill. They also have black legs with yellow feet, which aren’t visible on this specimen that I found wading in the shadows one morning in Torguguero.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
There are two races of the Variable Seedeater (Sporophila americana) in Costa Rica: one on the Caribbean side, and one, like this one with a white belly and rump, on the Pacific side of the country. The brown females of both races are identical. This fellow was chirping on the barbed wire that guards the airstrip in Carate on the Osa Peninsula.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
