Male Black-throated Trogon

January 25, 2013 by jrw

With feathers glistening in the dappled sunlight of the secondary rainforest, a male Black-throated Trogan proudly sits at attention.

Of the ten Trogan species in Costa Rica, the Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus) is the one I’ve seen most frequently. Dimorphic, the male is easily identified by the brilliant green head, yellow belly, and, of course, its black throat. Trogons are generally sedentary, and like to sit still on branches. As long as they aren’t startled, these handsome birds can be observed for quite awhile. Their mates are typically nearby, but often out of view.

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Red-lored Parrots

January 23, 2013 by jrw

Although the shadows on their faces make it difficult to see their red foreheads and light-colored upper beaks, I am fairly certain these are Red-lored Parrots (Amazona autumnalis). There is a chance, however, that they are Mealy Parrots (Amazona farinosa). Both species have wide, white orbital rings and stout, green bodies that make this parrot pair look like strange, inquisitive aliens climbing up a skinny branch.

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Chestnut-mandibled Toucan

January 22, 2013 by jrw

This Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii) is one of the first birds I photographed during my first trip to Costa Rica back in 2002 with my first digital camera. I was thrilled, and I felt so lucky to have gotten a clear snapshot of such an exotic-looking creature! The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan is the larger of two toucan types in Costa Rica, and the only one on the Osa Peninsula.

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Turkey Vulture

January 20, 2013 by jrw

Turkey Vultures sport a red head, and have a distinct black-and-white pattern under their wings. Although Turkey Vultures are relatives of storks and ibises, they can be found all over Costa Rica, including high in the mountains. This one doesn’t seem to have a pale blue nape, suggesting that it is a migratory rather than a resident example.

A Turkey Vulture lands in a tree on the Osa Peninsula.

Turkey Vultures have a highly developed sense of smell.

Turkey Vultures have a keen sense of smell and a hooked bill that help them locate and rip apart carrion.

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Female Green Kingfisher

January 19, 2013 by jrw

A female Green Kingfisher surveys the Claro River near Sirena.

In some birds, the males and females of the species are dimorphic, meaning they have different features or markings. This female Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) lacks the rufous patch of breast feathers that distinguishes its male counterpart.

As their name implies, Green Kingfishers survive by fishing.

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Mangrove Black-Hawk

January 17, 2013 by jrw

A Mangrove Black-Hawk enjoys the spray of Pacific waves breaking on volcanic rocks near Corcovado.

Before I started writing this post, I didn’t realize that there are two types of Black-Hawks in Costa Rica that look just like the bird in this picture: the Common Black-Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) and the Mangrove Black-Hawk (Buteogallus subtilis). According to one of my bird books, Common Black-Hawks live along the Caribbean coast, while Mangrove Black-Hawks live along the Pacific, especially to the south. The two species may be conspecific, meaning they’re really the same bird. Perhaps time and a little science will tell. I commonly see these large raptors on the Osa Peninsula, where I snapped this photograph during a hike.

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Yellow-headed Caracara

January 16, 2013 by jrw

Yellow-headed Caracaras (Milvago chimachima) are part of the falcon family, but are not swift hunters like their falcon cousins. They eat mostly carrion, along with some insects and small vertebrates I’m not sure why this one was pecking at the inside of a broken coconut shell. Perhaps there were some delicious bugs in there. The Yellow-headed Caracara is most common in the south Pacific region, where I photographed this one in 2006.

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Blue-crowned Motmot

January 13, 2013 by jrw

The Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota) is the only motmot species in Costa Rica that can be found in the southern Pacific forests. This one was photographed near Carate on the Osa Peninsula. It was swinging its long, racquet-tipped tail feathers back and forth like a pendulum, as motmots often do while scouting for large bugs and small lizards or amphibians to eat.

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Bicolored Antbird

January 12, 2013 by jrw

I’m especially fond of Bicolored Antbirds (Gymnopithys leucaspis) because the blue orbital skin around their eyes makes them look like they’re wearing goggles. I’ve often seen them flitting low by the trails around Luna Lodge, seemingly following along on the hike and staring at us. More likely they’re scouting out swarms of army ants. Although antbirds don’t typically eat ants, they appreciate the multitude of bugs that hunting army ants stir up from the forest floor. Why waste energy pecking about on the ground when tens of thousands of marching insects will do it for you?

A white belly distinguishes the bicolored species from other antbirds that sport blue goggles.

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Osprey

January 11, 2013 by jrw

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are large, migratory raptors that frequent Costa Rica primarily from October to April. As they prey on fish, Ospreys can be found near bodies of water. This one was perched along the Tortuguero River.

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