Whether you like to watch birds or not, you are going to see a bunch when taking a trip to Costa Rica. Visit Costa Rica and you will have a very good chance of seeing toucans, parrots, the fantastic Scarlet Macaw, glittering hummingbirds, and other exotic tropical bird species.
Although a lot of our birds are fairly common and rather easy to see, the following tips will help you see more of them and enrich your time in Costa Rica:
- Visit national parks and protected areas: Toucans and other interesting jungle birds are most common in places with good forest habitat they require. For example, visit such rainforest sites as Manuel Antonio, Carara, and Rincon de la Vieja National Parks and you have an excellent chance of viewing gaudy toucans, colorful tanagers, and many other birds.
The Keel-billed Toucan is one of 6 toucan species that occur in Costa Rica. This stunning bird species is fairly common in many areas. - Hire a local guide: Although you can see birds on your own, you will see ten times as much by hiring a guide who knows how to find and identify birds and other animals.
A good guide might show you a beautiful Gartered Trogon. - Stay at hotels situated in good habitat: If a hotel is located right next to or within rainforest, you just have to step out into the garden to see trogons, toucans, and other colorful bird species. A few hotels also specialize in serious birding, many have local guides, and some have fruit and hummingbird feeders that bring in the birds for excellent photo opportunities.
To prepare for and enrich your trip to Costa Rica, get the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. Download the lite version for free to get a taste of this hand held digital field guide for Costa Rican birds!
