Footprint Travel Guides
  • Promotional Feature
  • Europe
  • British Isles
  • Food and Drink
  • Australasia
Footprint Travel Guides
  • Europe
  • British Isles
  • Australasia
  • Rest of World

BY RICHARD ARGHIRIS

It is true, the early bird gets the worm and the earlier you get up, the more species you’ll see.

Toucans and the smaller toucanets are widespread throughout tropical areas. Another popular sighting is the scarlet macaw easily spotted near Puerto Juárez. Hummingbirds too are a common sighting, frequently drawn to sugar-feeders. The harpy eagle is extremely rare with sightings on the Osa Peninsula a possibility. 

1 18 8 Birds 175172513 Jeep5D 72

To find the resplendent quetzal, a brilliant emerald green bird, with males having a bright scarlet breast and belly and ostentatious long green streamers extending as much as 50 cm beyond the end of its tail, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve or the less atmospheric Eddie Serrano Mirador are a couple of the best places to go. In addition to the quetzal, Costa Rica, containing around 850 bird species, is a good country to visit for birdwatchers and Monteverde is a hotspot. Species there include black guans, emerald toucanets, violet sabrewings, long-tailed manakins, three wattled bellbirds and the threatened bare-necked umbrella bird. Mixed flocks of small birds such as warblers, tanagers, woodcreepers and wood-wrens can also be seen in the area. 

Shutterstock 549082930 72

La Selva Biological Station, an area of rainforest, is another area rich in rainforest species such as the chestnut-billed toucan, mealy parrot and squirrel cuckoo. A very different habitat, with, consequently, different birds, is found in the large wetland area of Parque Nacional Palo Verde. Here one can see the jabiru, black-necked stilt, spotted rail, barethroated tiger heron, purple gallinule and many other waterbirds. In the dry season, ducks, including the black-bellied whistling duck, blue-billed teal, ring-necked duck and northern pintail, congregate in this area in their thousands. More rarely seen here is the white-faced whistling duck. Of course, all along the coasts are masses of different seabirds, including pelicans, boobies and the magnificent frigate bird.

1 18 8 Birds 564009715 Ondrej Prosicky 72
Previous Article
  • Rest of World

Climbing the Chirripó Peak

  • December 10, 2022
  • Sarah Cameron
View Post
Next Article
  • Rest of World

Best of Costa Rica

  • December 10, 2022
  • Sarah Cameron
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Rest of World

Best of Cuba

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
View Post
  • Rest of World

Best of Argentina

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
View Post
  • Rest of World

Iguazú Falls

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
View Post
  • Rest of World

Trekking in Argentina

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
View Post
  • Rest of World

Argentina’s Best Festivals

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
View Post
  • Rest of World

Welsh Patagonia

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
View Post
  • Rest of World

Train to the Clouds

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
View Post
  • Rest of World

Tango

  • Sarah Cameron
  • December 10, 2022
Footprint Travel Guides
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Input your search keywords and press Enter.