Bird Watching Costa Rica

Costa Rica is the birders paradise and has become world famous with its avifuana. Within this small countries borders, approximately 850 different species can be found making birdwatching an unforgettable experience. This magnitude is on par with some continents like Europe, North America, and Australia. For those with a long life-list this is the place to get ahead checking off many unique and beautiful birds.

The country boasts 16 different species of parrots with the best in show being the scarlet macaw. 50 species of hummingbirds can also be found in Costa Rica and 20 of those species can commonly be found at local feeders. The highlight hummingbird is the violet sabrewing. 10 species of trogons are also found in Costa Rica including the resplendent quetzal — the most dazzling and culturally important bird of Central America. Six species of toucans call Costa Rica home with the most popular being the chestnut-mandible toucan and the brilliant billed keel-bill toucan.

Some of the popular waterbirds that can be found in marshes as well as long both coasts include the magnificent frigate-bird, brown pelican, boat-billed heron, yellow-crowned night heron, roseate spoonbill, and the jacana (known as the ‘lily trotter’ due to its unique ability to run across water foliage).

However, half of Costa Rica’s birds are in the passerines category. These include warblers, sparrows and finches. Some of the more unique passerines that are more limited to tropical areas are the tanagers and cotingas. The highlights in these species are the blue-grey tanager, scarlet-rumped tanager, three-wattled bellbird in the contingas species, and the red-headed barbet.

Whether you came to Costa Rica to specifically combine bird watching in your adventure vacation or not, you are guaranteed to see some beautiful and unique birds during your different adventure vacation with us. However, if you want to dedicate a portion of your tour to bird watching we will make sure that your custom itinerary includes some of the country’s best birding hotspots. Your birding activities will also have naturalist guide included to make the most of your time with us.