Tag Archives: gray

Female Cherrie’s Tanager

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Female Cherrie's Tanager

Yesterday, I became so wrapped up in my work that I entirely forgot to post a Costa Rican wildlife. This morning, when I realized my lapse, it reminded me how easy it let the business of living distract my attention from the beautiful life of the natural world. This sweet little bird is a female Cherrie’s Tanager (Ramphocelus costaricensis). Perhaps not as flashy as the shiny black males of the species that sport a bright red rump, yet quite lovely hooded in a dusky gray-brown, with a rust-orange throat and amber breast.

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Semiplumbeous Hawk

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Semiplumbeous Hawk

Identified by its slate gray head and wings, white breast, and orange legs and ceres, Semiplumbeous Hawks (Leucopternis semiplumbea) haunt the understory and lower canopy of the rainforest. They prefer to drop from low perches onto their prey, and, like this one, don’t seem to mind people approaching with cameras.

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Blue-gray Tanagers

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Blue-gray Tanagers

In the low light of a very rainy day in Selve Verde, these Blue-gray Tanagers (Thraupis episcopus) look a little more lilac than sky blue. This species is one of the most common Tanagers in Costa Rica, and lives all over the country. By the look of this pair, I think somebody is getting scolded!

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Roseate Spoonbill

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Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) are members of the Threskiornithidae family, along with Ibises. Usually, I have encountered these large, pink wading birds along sea shores, so it was a surprise to see one peering with its flat bill from the low branches of a tree. Roseate Spoonbills can be found in Costa Rica on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. This one was photographed at the Golfo Dulce.

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Common Potoo

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Common Potoo

Holding its best cryptic pose, the Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) in the photo above disguises itself as the stub of a dead and broken branch. The nocturnal bird is comfortable roosting on low perches in open daylight, and this one didn’t even peek as we closely trolled past in a motor boat, snapping pictures.

Common Potoo

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Squirrel Cuckoo

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Squirrel Cuckoo

It’s not difficult to find Squirrel Cuckoos (Piaya cayana) in Costa Rica, as they live all over the country, except at the highest elevations. These rufous colored birds with long tails do indeed seem squirrel-like as they hop about on tree branches, hunting for caterpillars.

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Yellow-crowned Night-heron

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Yellow-crowned Night-heron

Yellow-crowned Night-herons (Nyctanassa violacea) are common all along Costa Rica’s coasts, both Caribbean and Pacific. They like to roost during the day near streams and mangroves. This one was photographed at the Tortuguero River in 2004.

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Parrot Snake

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Parrot Snake

The Parrot Snake (Leptophis ahaetulla) in the above photo is furious because it just lost an epic battle with its lunch. Wrestling in the mud of the rainforest floor near Serena, the unidentified frog (possibly a member of the genus Phrynohyas) kept scrambling, and the writhing reptile just couldn’t get a solid grip. After several minutes, the amphibian finally slipped free and made a break for it!

A Parrot Snake winds and twists in its attempt to grab ahold of a slippery frog.

A Parrot Snake winds and twists in its attempt to grab ahold of a slippery frog.

Parrot Snake and Frog

The frog’s body appears to swell and secrete a mucus that aids in its escape.

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

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With the discipline of a yogi, this Bare-throated Tiger Heron holds its pose and warms its wings in the evening sunlight near Tortuguero.

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.

American Crocodile

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Apparently stuffed, a motionless American Crocodile holds his next bite - a large fish - in his toothy jaws.

Apparently stuffed, a motionless American Crocodile holds his next bite – a large fish – in his toothy jaws.

Crocodilians, along with birds, are the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs. The American Crocodile can be found in large rivers and streams of Costa Rica, and often in the tidal, brackish water where rivers meet the sea. This crocodile was resting on a flat of mud one evening near the mouth of the Tortuguero River.

All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.