No matter where you go in Costa Rica, there’s always some beautiful birds to be seen. Whether it be a garden in San Jose and the Central Valley or the rainforests near a Costa Rican eco lodge, if you keep an eye out for birds, you are going to see quite a few. The following are five of the stunning, common bird species of Costa Rica that are hard to miss:
1. Blue-gray Tanager: This common neotropical species is encountered in a variety of habitats, including hotel gardens. They will come to fruit feeders and display beautiful shades of pale blue, gray, and hints of violet in the wings and tail.
2. Blue-crowned Motmot: In keeping with the blue theme, this stunning bird gets a mention because it’s a common resident and garden bird in the Central Valley and the Monteverde area. Watch the garden of your hotel or take a walk past coffee fields in the early morning and you have a pretty good chance of espying one or more of these beautiful Costa Rican birds.
3. Keel-billed Toucan: Visit just about any site in the Caribbean lowlands or places like the University of Peace and Santa Elena (the gateway town to Monteverde), and you are bound to see a few of these spectacular, rainbow-billed birds!
4. Great Kiskadee: This big flycatcher might be super common but its striking yellow and rufous plumage with a bold pattern on the head and loud personality (literally- listen to its call on the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app!) put it on this short list.
5. Passerini’s Tanager: This striking, common bird species of the Caribbean slope was formerly known as the Scarlet-rumped Tanager until it was split into two species; Passerini’s and Cherrie’s Tanagers. The eye-catching, velvet black and incredibly red plumage of the male is a common sight in hotel gardens and second growth.
