Colorful bird with a bright turquoise crown, red eye and a black mask. The Lesson's Motmot is one of the most popular birds of Costa Rica.
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As experienced bird-watchers and travel photographers, Bill and I travel the world looking for new and interesting birds. And the colorful and amazing birds of Costa Rica are among the best we’ve ever seen. The diverse habitats and ecosystems are home to over 900 different species of birds.

You may be wondering, “What kind of birds are in Costa Rica?” or “Where are the best places to find the birds of Costa Rica?” We will show you our very best photos and videos of a wide variety of Costa Rican birds, and tell you about the best places to find them.

And keep checking back – I have a lot more birds of Costa Rica still to be added!

Costa Rica has hundreds of public and private reserves and National Parks where you can pay an entrance fee to enter and look for birds. Some are big and well known, but many are smaller family-owned pieces of property.

Ready to see some birds of Costa Rica?

The Table of Contents below will let you quickly find the birds you’re looking for, or you can just scroll through all the photos to enjoy them.

All photos on this post were taken by either Kari or Bill (except where noted), and cannot be shared or captured without permission. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

Affiliate disclaimer telling readers that if they click on any of the red links on my website, I may receive a small bit of compensation at no additional cost to them.
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The Most Vibrantly Colored Birds of Costa Rica

Most of the birds of Costa Rica are colorful, but in my opinion, these are truly the most magnificent and brilliantly colored birds we’ve seen so far in Costa Rica.

Resplendent Quetzal

This richly colored bird is high on many birders’ Bucket List. The Resplendent Quetzal can be very elusive and hard to find. We discovered it (with our guide’s help) at the Curi-Cancha Preserve in Monteverde. It was raining really hard on the day we found 5-6 of them in the “Million Dollar” Avocado Tree so our photos aren’t great. But we did get a couple of videos, and our guide Dulce, did manage to get one fabulous shot though!

Brilliantly red and green colored bird is the Resplendent Quetzal, one of the most sought after birds of Costa Rica.
Dulce’s fabulous shot – Photo Credit Dulce Wilson
Video of a Resplendent Quetzal in the swaying branches of an avacado tree
Click to watch the video of the beautiful male Quetzal
A video of the Resplendent Quetzal, hiding in the avacado tree in a downpour of torrential rain.
Click to watch the video as Guide Dulce explains the birds

Scarlet Macaw

A vivid, parrot-like bird that mates for life, the Scarlet Macaw is most readily seen along the southern Pacific coast, in places like Jaco and Carara National Park. The Jaco town sign is often recommended for finding these colorful birds. We found them there, and also along the highway between Jaco and Quepos.

A colorful Scarlet Macaw poses in a tree, showing off his red, yellow and blue feathers.
The colorful Scarlet Macaw is one of the most sought after birds of Costa Rica
The red head, white face and black streaks are visible in this Scarlet Macaw, nestled in the trees.

Keel-Billed Toucan

The Keel-Billed Toucan is a large multi-hued bird, known for its distinctive rainbow colored bill. We found them at two different places in the Monteverde Region – the Finca Ecologica San Luis reserve, and near the Tityra Lodge near Santa Elena.

Colorful bird with a black body, yellow throat and green, orange, and burgundy bill, the Keel-billed Toucan sits in the sunshine on a brown metal bar
The Keel-billed Toucan talks to the other toucans with his bill partially opened.
The colorful keel-billed Toucan hides in the leaves of the trees.

Yellow-throated Toucan

The other large toucan bird of Costa Rica is the Yellow-throated Toucan. It has many similarities to the Keel-bill Toucan, especially the bright yellow throat, but note the more geometric, less colorful pattern on the bill. We found the Yellow-throated Toucan at the Arenal Observatory Lodge near La Fortuna, and at the Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos.

The Yellow-throated Toucan is a large colorful bird with a black body, a yellow and burgundy bill, and a bright yellow throat. The Yellow-throated Toucan are one of the most sought after birds of Costa Rica.
The Yellow-throated Toucan displays his boldly geometric colored bill that is bright yellow on top, deep burgundy on the bottom.
The Yellow-throated Toucan perches on a large tree branch, while he surveys what's happening below him on the ground.

Northern-Emerald Toucanet

This smaller bird of the Toucan family is the Northern-Emerald Toucanet. Mostly green in color, it’s multi-colored bill is defined by a sharp white marking. From a distance, I always think it looks like a tear is streaming down his cheek.

We found this bird in several places, including the Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon, the Finca Ecologica San Luis near Monteverde, and even at our lodging accommodation in Monteverde. They were right outside our window every morning!

This beautiful bird is also a omnivore so when it comes around, the smaller birds get out of the way so they don’t get eaten!

The Northern-Emerald Toucanet is a Bright green bird with a colorful bill perched on a branch in the sunshine.
The Northern-Emerald Toucanet sits on a large tree branch with his head cocked to see what is going on down below on the ground.
This bright green Northern-Emerald Toucanet poses proudly on a thick branch, as if to say "look at how beautiful and gorgeous I am!"

Collared Aracari

The Aracari is the third type of Toucan bird of Costa Rica (along with the Toucans and Toucanets shown above). We found the Collared Aracari near the Tityra Lodge in Santa Elena and at the Arenal Observatory Lodge near La Fortuna. We heard that they also frequent the Kapi Kapi Restaurant up in the hills above Santa Elena.

This species is often seen in groups of 5-8 birds. The serrated pattern on the bill, when seen from a distance, makes it look like the bill is roughly cracked and broken, but it’s not.

The Collared Aracari is a black bird has a yellow belly and an extra long bill with coloring that makes it appear as though the bill is cracked and broken off.
The Collared Aracari shows us his less colorful side and back (lots of grays and browns) when it hangs out on the end of a metal pole.
The Collared Aracari sits on the edge of the trees, half hidden by all the green leaves.

Lesson’s Motmot

This beautiful bird is one of my very favorites! The Lesson’s Motmot’s most striking features are its bright turquoise crown, black mask, red eyes, and its long tail with tear-drop-shaped rackets on the ends. I often spot the bright blue in a tree before I see the rest of the bird.

We found the Lesson’s Motmot at Finca Ecologica San Luis near Monteverde, Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon, and also at the TucanTico Lodge in Monteverde. Dulce said that there is almost always a pair of them, but you usually only see one at a time.

Colorful bird with a bright turquoise crown, red eye and a black mask. The Lesson's Motmot is one of the most popular birds of Costa Rica.
This Lesson's Motmot features a bright orange chest to go with his turquoise crown, black facial mask and bright red eyes.
The blue tones of the Lesson's Motmot is always the first thing I notice when they are hanging out in a tree - you don't expect to see blue in a tree, right?
The blue and green Lesson's Motmot perches on the edge of a concrete picnic table.
The blue-green colors of the Lesson's Motmot help it blend into the leaves of the trees it sits in.

Turquoise-browed Motmot

This smaller mot-mot is tougher to spot, but when you find one, the reward is worth the wait. The most distinctive feature is the turquoise colored carried through to the large rackets at the end of the long tail.

The Turquoise-browed Motmot shows us his bright blue features on his head, his rump and at the end of his long tail.
The colorful Turquoise-browed Motmot is a striking bird with a long tail that has triangles on of feathers on the ends.
The Turquoise-browed Motmot shows off his vivid colorful feathers while he sits on a tree branch in the sun-dappled forest.

The Tanager Birds of Costa Rica

There are approximately 15 different types of Tanagers in Costa Rica, including several species of Honeycreepers, and I’ve found 10 of them so far. These smaller birds (closer in size to the American Robin) are often vividly colored and they are most definitely, very photogenic!

Golden-hooded Tanager

The smallish Golden-hooded Tanager is also known as the 7 colored bird because it has so many hues. Like the Lesson’s Motmot, the coloring can vary widely from bird to bird and depending on the sunlight available. We have found this tanager several places, including the Arenal Observatory Lodge near La Fortuna, the Finca Ecologica San Luis near Monteverde and the Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon.

A dark bird overall, with blue coloring on the wing and underbelly. The Golden-hooded Tanager also has a bright yellow-orange neck, a black mask and a gray bill. The Golden-hooded Tanager is often described as the seven colored bird.
The multi-colored Golden-hooded Tanager stands on a branch in the rain.
The Golden-hooded Tanager displays all his colored glory of black, light blue, dark blue, royal blue and golden tones as he poses on a wooden branch.

Summer Tanager

The bright red Summer Tanager is unmistakable, but he likes to hide in the leaves of the trees, making him difficult to photograph. Places we have found the Summer Tanager (so far) include our accommodation called TucanTico Lodge in Monteverde and the Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos. I’m betting they are around in many other places, but they hide when they see me coming with my camera. 😉

Bright red Summer Tanager perches on a branch in a tree with seeds hanging off the branch going past his.
The Bright red Summer Tanager looks upward to see what is happening in the tree above him.
This young Summer Tanager has plainer wings without the black striping of the dult.
Bright red Summer Tanager perches on a branch in a tree, watching over the activities in the yard below.

Emerald Tanager

This small Emerald Tanager is bright green with yellow and black markings. We discovered this one at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, but we will keep looking for it in other places. Such a pretty bird!

The Emerald Tanager is a small bright green bird with a yellow crown on top of his head and black markings on his face and wings.

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

The large Scarlet-rumped Tanager doesn’t always appear very impressive. When sitting in trees or bushes, he is mostly black, with just a small touch of red on his rump and his silvery-white bill. But when he flies or when he turns to display his plumage, you can’t help but catch your breath!

Present widely across Costa Rica, we’ve seen this bird at the following places: Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos, Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon, Finca Ecologica San Luis in Monteverde, TucanTico Lodge in Monteverde and the Arenal Observatory Lodge near La Fortuna.

The black Scarlet-rumped Tanager perches on a branch, just giving us a peek at his red tail feathers.
This Scarlet-rumped Tanager puts his red rump on full display for us to see.
The Scarlet-rumped Tanager prepares to take off in flight from his mossy perch.

Silver-throated Tanager

I was excited to discover the small Silver-throated Tanager when we were at the Arenal Observatory Lodge near La Fortuna, Costa Rica. This is another bird that looks quite different, depending on the direction and the lighting.

A mostly yellow-bird with green and black wings and a silvery-white throat. The Silver-throated Tanager is one of the most beautiful birds of Costa Rica.
A silver-throated Tanager perching on a metal rod with his green and black wings on full display.
Green, yellow and black striped wings are on the backside of the Silver-throated Tanager.

Crimson-collared Tanager

The large Crimson-collared Tanager has very similar coloring to the Scarlet-rumped Tanager, but the head is unmistakably different with the very top and collar being bright crimson. We found this one at the Finca Ecologica San Luis preserve near Monteverde.

The Crimson-collared Tanager is a black bird with a red rump and a red head with a black face mask. The Bill is silvery-blue.
The Crimson-collared Tanager shivers and puffs up his feathers in the rain.

Blue-Gray Tanager

The Blue-Gray Tanager is definitely not one of the most colorful birds of Costa Rica, but I still think it’s one of the prettiest and most photogenic birds, in a calm, understated way.

Found all across Costa Rica, we have seen the Blue-gray at the following places: Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos, Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon, Finca Ecologica San Luis near Monteverde, Stella’s Restaurant and the TucanTico Lodge in Monteverde and the Arenal Observatory Lodge near La Fortuna.

The Blue-Gray tanager has a light gray body with distinctive blue and brown wings.
This blue-gray tanager is eating berries off the tree.
This blue-gray tanager has a bit of turquoise color on his wings.
This young Blue-gray tanager fluffs up his chest to stay warm during the rain. He looks like a fluffy gray cotton ball!

Palm Tanager

The Palm Tanager is also a more subtly colored, medium sized tanager that displays a simple elegance. We have seen it at the Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos, the Finca Ecologica San Luis Preserve near Monteverde and the Arenal Observatory Lodge near La Fortuna.

The Palm Tanager is not as colorful as the other tanager birds, but it's gray and brown coloring give it a simple elegance. Here, he perches on a thick log in the rainy drizzle.
The Palm Tanager displays his gray and brown backside to us as he stands on a thick tree branch, gazing off into the distance.
The Palm Tanager displays his dark brown rump feathers as he stands on a tree branch in the pouring rain.

The Red-legged Honeycreeper

The Honeycreeper species also fall into the Tanager category and the Red-legged Honeycreeper is one of the most brilliantly colored ones. We’ve seen both the male and females at the Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos and just the male at the Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon. Unfortunately, I don’t have any good photos of the female.

The blue male Red-legged Honeykeeper poses in the branches of a tree, looking over the landscape.
The blue male Red-legged Honeykeeper perches on a branch, ready to take flight.
The royal blue and black male Red-legged Honeykeeper perches on the edge of a white wire rack

Green Honeykeeper

The Green Honeykeeper is a smaller Tanager. The male is a interesting shade of blue- green with a distinctive yellow bill. The female is bright green, also with a yellow bill, and the immature male has mottled shades of blue and green. We have seen them at the Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos and the Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon.

The Male Green Honeykeeper is a beautiful shade of blue mixed with green, a black face mask and a bright yellow bill.
Male

The immature male Green Honeykeeper bird is a motled shade of blues and greens, but still with the distinctive yellow bill. He sits on a thick tree branch.
Immature Male
The female Green Honeykeeper is the most green of the three we saw, sitting in the branches of a bush, looking to the left.
Female

Blue Dacnis

The Blue Dacnis is a smaller Tanager with distinctive black and royal blue coloring. We have only seen this one at the Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos. We did see the Scarlet-thighed Dacnis when we were near Boquete, Panama, but that’s a different post.

The Blue Dacnis bird perches amongst the green vegetation and red berries.
The male Blue Dacnis peers out from behind a thick tree branch.
A male Blue Dacnis bird shows us his black and blue patterned backside and wings as he looks to the right.

The Oriole Birds of Costa Rica

Baltimore Oriole

The brilliantly orange Baltimore Oriole is one of my favorite birds to photograph in Costa Rica. Yes, we have them back home in Minnesota, but they are way more abundant here. And there’s something stunningly beautiful about the female Baltimore Oriole when the light hits her just right.

We have found the orioles in Costa Rica in several places we went birding. These include Esquipulas Rainforest near Quepos, Tarcoles Village near Jaco and the Crocodile Bridge, Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon, Finca Ecologica San Luis near Monteverde and the TucanTico Lodge in Monteverde. Will you indulge me for a minute while I share my favorite 5 shots out of the probably 300 or so that I have taken? 😊

The male Baltimore Oriole appears ready to take flight as he grips the tree branch.
The Male Baltimore Oriole perches on a thin tree branch, with his bold orange chest puffed out and his black head and feathers.
The Male Baltimore Oriole hangs out on a tree branch, fanning his yellow tail-feathers behind him.
The beautiful female Baltimore Oriole shows us her yellow features and her black and white striped wings.
Female
The female Baltimore oriole perches on the edge of a table, looking to the left as if to say "see how beautiful I am?"
Female

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Spot-breasted Oriole

Just as we were leaving Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales near San Ramon, I spotted this beautiful Spot-breasted Oriole way up high in the trees. Similar coloring to the Male Baltimore, but with a different pattern. Can you tell what is different?

Male Spot-breasted Oriole rests amongst the tree branches, staying cool out of the hot sun.
The Spot-breasted Oriole has similar orange and black coloring to the Baltimore Oriole, but the head is mostly orange instead of all black.
Male Spot-breasted Oriole hangs out up high in the tree, surrounded by green leaves.

The Fascinating Great Curassow

We spotted these large game birds on the grounds at Arenal Observatory Lodge and what a sight they were to see! The males are dark with a curly chest, a crest on top of their head, a white rump and a bright yellow knob on top of their bill. The females are all kinds of different shades, ranging from mostly reddish brown to heavily barred.

It was fascinating too how when they sat down, they fanned their feathers widely around them. My camera was shooting non-stop as we watched them wander the grounds at the Lodge. Here are a few of my favorites.

Male
Female
Male

The Hummingbirds of Costa Rica

Oh My – the Hummingbirds are some of my favorite birds of Costa Rica. They are so colorful and beautiful, but also a challenge to photograph, so it’s magic when you finally get the shot. And these miniature birds with incredibly fast wings are everywhere.

We spent a lot of time at the Hummingbird Gallery when we were in Monteverde for an extended stay. But really, there were hummingbirds present at every single place we went to. Especially if there were bushes with purple flowers, they were sure to be hanging around that bush.

Important to note – Merlin is my go-to app for identifying birds (more on that below). With hummingbirds, I’m a little less confident. It often seems to come back with the same answer for birds that look very different to me. I used it to identify the birds here, but know that my confidence is not 100%.

This green Stripe-tailed Hummingbird has his rusty wings expanded as he hovers.
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
The Stripe-tailed Hummingbird hovers over the bright pink flower.
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
The Lesser Violet Ear is a beautiful blue hummingbird, perched on a red and yellow hummingbird feeder.
Lesser Violetear
The Lesser Violetear is perched on a wooden branch, showing off his beautiful blue-green colors with a purple spot, right behind his ear.
Lesser Violetear
The Green Hermit is hovering near a feeder with his wings blurred to the rapid movement.
Green Hermit
The Green-crowned Brilliant faces towards us to show some of his facial features, such as the white moustache stripe and white spot behind the eye.
Green-crowned Brilliant
The male Green-crowned Brilliant sits on a tree branch with his green iridescent feathers glowing.
Green-crowned Brilliant
This Magenta Throated Woodstar has both a dark red patch and a white patch on his throat as he hovers in a field of purple flowers.
Magenta Throated Woodstar
The brightly colored Purple-throated Mountain-gem Hummingbird hangs out on the red feeder, showing us his orange chest, green back and feathers and bold black and white pattern on his face.
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
The large Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird perches on a tree branch, showing us his deeply purple feathers.
Violet Sabrewing
This beautiful green scaly-breasted Hummingbird blends into the green leaves he's perched on - you almost can't see him!
Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
The very colorful Blue-vented Hummingbird is a kaleidoscope of pastel iridescent colors.
Blue-vented Hummingbird
The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird hovers near the purple flowers, showing us his rusty-red tail feathers.
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

The Flycatcher Birds of Costa Rica

There are over 60 different types Flycatchers in Costa Rica and I’ve barely scratched the surface with the few that I’ve seen so far. The Kingbirds fall into this category as well. The Flycatcher birds of Costa Rica are not all white, brown and black with yellow bellies, but the 7 that I’ve seen so far, all have those characteristics. The differences are often very subtle and I rely on the Merlin app to help me correctly identify the species.

The Great Kiskadee Flycatcher is a brown with black and white stripings on his face and a bright yellow belly.
Great Kiskadee Flycatcher

The Social Flycatcher has a bright yellow belly, brown backside and black and white stripes on his head. He is smaller than the great kiskadee flycatcher.
Social Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
This video of the Boat-billed Flycatcher shows him on a thin tree branch, surveying the birds around him.
Click to watch the Boat-billed Flycatcher
This video of the Gray-capped Flycatcher shows him sitting on a tree branch, looking around to see what's happening.
Click to watch the Gray-capped Flycatcher
The Tropical Kingbird is often seen perched on electrical wires or other manmade structures such as satellite dishes.
Tropical Kingbird
The Western Kingbird sits on a wire with his light yellow belly.
Western Kingbird

Birds of Prey and Other Larger Birds of Costa Rica

The rarely seen Ornate Hawk-Eagle soars over head, showing off his boldly barred plumage.
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
The Black Hawk-Eagle soars in the cloudy sky, displaying her bold white checkered patter under the wings.
Black Hawk Eagle
The Turkey Vulture soars beautifully through the sky with its wide wingspan. Once on the ground however, he's all gray and shriveled up!
Turkey Vulture
The Black Vulture soars high in the sky with his broad wingspan.
Black Vulture
The Magnificent Frigatebird flies in the sky, showcasing it's elegant silhouette.
Magnificent Frigatebird
The Magnificent Frigatebird displays it's forked tail as he flies through the sky.
Magnificent Frigatebird
Two large brown pelican's come in for a landing on the water.
Brown Pelican
The rich-reddish brown tones of the Squirrel Cuckoo are displayed as he hides amongst the leaves in the trees.
Squirrel Cuckoo
The Royal-navy blue Great-tailed Grackle has yellow eyes and is perched on a tree branch, surrounded by green leaves.
Great-tailed Grackle
The Brown Jay sits perched on a tree branch, looking for something to eat.
Brown Jay
The deep brown feathered Montezuma Oropendola has a black head multi-colored face and bill
Montezuma Oropendola
The Montezuma Oropendola flies with his brown feathers on top and the yellow tail feathers displayed.
Montezuma Oropendola
The Black Guan hides in the leaves of a tree, showing only his blue face.
Black Guan
Crested Guan

The Sparrow and Warbler Birds of Costa Rica

Some of the smallest birds we found in Costa Rica were the Warblers and the Sparrows. They are very active and keep moving frequently, making them a little tricky to photograph at times. Here are the ones we’ve found (so far):

The Stripe-headed Sparrow, with distinctive stripes around his eyes and head, perches on a wooden fencepost.
Stripe-headed Sparrow
The Black-striped Sparrow on the ground has a gray body, green back and black-stripes on his head.
Black-striped Sparrow
This ground sparrow is called the Rufous-collared Sparrow - it has a bold black and gray head pattern, a bright rusty collar and a black chest pattern.
Rufous-collared Sparrow
The white-eared Ground Sparrow has a gray body, black head with dramatic white spots and a yellow neck patch.
White-eared Ground Sparrow
A dramatic warbler sits in a tree with bold black and yellow marks on the face and a yellow belly.
Townsend’s Warbler
The Tennessee Warbler is green and gray with white underparts
Tennessee Warbler
The Black-throated Green Warbler sits on a tree branch. He has a bright yellow face with olive green back and crown and black/white wings.
Black-throated Green Warbler
This small Warbler has yellow and black wings, a yellow cap and a white bellow. Just below the wings is reddish chestnut patch.
Chestnut-sided Warbler

Other Birds of Costa Rica

Here’s all the other birds I’ve seen in Costa Rica that didn’t neatly fit into another category.

The bright yellow and dark blue male Yellow-crowned Euphonia sits on a wooden tree branch.
Yellow-crowned Euphonia – Male
This Female Yellow-crowned Euphonia has a greenish back and bright yellow belly, standing on a branch in the rain.
Yellow-crowned Euphonia – Female
This male Yellow-throated Euphonia hangs out in the leaves of a tree, displaying his bright yellow belly.
Yellow-throated Euphonia – Male
This immature male Yellow-throated Euphonia has a greenish back as it morphs towards royal blue.
Yellow-throated Euphonia – Immature Male
The Black-headed Saltator sits on a wooden tree branch with his olive feathers and a light patch on his throat.
Black-headed Saltator
Buff-throated Saltator perches on a wooden tree branch, showing us the buff-colored patch on his gray throat, surrounded by a dark moustache line.
Buff-throated Saltator
This bright colored Golden-naped Woodpecker has a brown body, black wings on his back, a black eye patch, yellow-patch above bill, red cap and red patch on belly.
Golden-naped Woodpecker
The Golden-naped Woodpecker stands on a branch with his back to us, showing black feathers with white stripes, plus his black, red and golden colored head.
Golden-naped Woodpecker
A golden woodpecker perches on the side of a tree with it's checkerboard wing pattern visible.
Hoffmann’s Woodpecker – Female
A male Hoffman's Woodpecker perches on a tree branch with his red cap visible on top of his head.
Hoffmann’s Woodpecker – Male
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Bananaquit
A large Gartered Trogon has a large bright yellow belly with a dark neckline and a yellow eyering.
Gartered Trogon
The Gartered Trogon sits on a branch, showing us his beautiful green and black backside, with his bright yellow belly just visible.
Gartered Trogon
White-winged Dove
White-winged Doves
The Amazon Kingfisher sits perched on a branch overlooking the river, watching for fish to catch.
Amazon Kingfisher
A Ringed Kingfisher sits high up in the tree with his blue-gray body, shaggy crest, reddish belly and white collar.
Ringed Kingfisher
The medium sized Rose-breasted Grosbeak has a white belly with a bright red patch at the throat beneath a black head.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The mostly white Masked Tityra stands out against the green leaves of the tree it's sitting in.
Masked Tityra
The Bare-throated Tiger-Heron has thin black bars on his brown skin as he walks in the riverbed.
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
This Bare-throated Tiger-Heron sits up in a tree, looking down at the river to find a fish to hunt.
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
The Spotted Sandpiper has a brown-ish gray body with a white belly and yellow legs.
Spotted Sandpiper
The clay-colored thrush is a drab brown color.
Costa Rica’s National Bird – Clay Colored Thrush

Hiring a Guide

You will always find more birds if you hire an expert to guide you. In Costa Rica, we hired guides on five different occasions and it was worth every penny. We also birded on our own several times – we saw a lot, but not as many as we would have seen with a guide.

So where do you find a guide? You can find and book many of them on Trip Advisor or Viator. Read the reviews carefully. If you book a bird-watching tour directly with a destination such as the Mistico Hanging Bridges, they will provide the guide for you.

My #1 place to find a trustworthy guide is in the Costa Rica Birding and Birding Costa Rica Facebook groups. In both of these groups, people ask questions, share tips, recommend guides and post pictures of the beautiful birds they have found and where.

You can use the magnifying glass to search for the area you are going to and someone will have recommended the guide they used. Then you either reach out to them on Facebook, FB Messenger or WhatsApp. Prices will vary depending on the number of hours and the number of people in your group.

The Merlin App

Millions of Bird-watching people across the world rely on the Merlin app to help them identify the birds that they are seeing in the wild. It offers several ways to identify birds – you can answer 5 questions, you can record the sounds of the bird, or you can use a photo.

I’m a “shoot first, identify later” kind of bird watcher because photography is my main priority. Then I use the photos I took to identify the birds.

Merlin is pretty fantastic at identifying birds, but always trust your gut if it doesn’t seem like you got the right result. If I doubt the photo identifier (especially with hummingbirds and gulls), I switch to the Step-by-Step method where I answer the 5 questions.

I highly recommend you download the app onto your cell phone – then don’t forget to download the Costa Rica bird pack.

Feeding Stations with Fruit?

Some places, including many hotels, restaurants and cafes, have a feeding area where they put out fruit for the birds to come and eat. A lot of people have mixed feelings about this practice, including me.

Two brown birds eat from a half cut papaya melon.

On one hand, it’s not good for birds to become accustomed to being human fed. And it feels like cheating because you wait there and the birds magically appear. On the other hand, I’ve gotten lots of FANTASTIC photos during these opportunities.

I usually focus my camera and attention at the nearby trees and bushes, rather than at the feeding area itself.

I guess if the place is consistently feeding the birds so they can count on a reliable food source, I feel a little bit better about it. But when Bill wants to offer the birds his leftover sandwich, I say a strong NO!

My Favorite Camera for Bird Photography

The camera I use for all my bird photography is the Canon SX70. It has a powerful zoom (no separate lenses needed), a viewfinder window, and it’s compact enough to fit into my hands easily. It’s a point-and-shoot camera that really packs a big punch!

I wrote a blog post about why I love shooting with this camera so much. It’s a safari focused blog post, but the same strategies apply to photographing birds as elephants!

Birds that we saw at each Park and Reserve

These are the main Parks and Preserves we visited where we saw lots of birds.

Reserva Curi Cancha

Located near Monteverde, the small private family owned Curi Cancha Reserve is best known for bird lovers who want to spot the Resplendent Quetzal. The day we went, it was pouring rain so we did not take time to look for any other birds after we found the Quetzal. But they have over 200 species of birds and a variety of mammals and reptiles within the Reserve. Limited tickets are available each day so plan ahead!!

BIRDS SEEN: Resplendent Quetzal, Crested Guan, Strip-tailed Hummingbird

Curi Cancha Trail Map

Esquipulas Rainforest Preserve

Located about 30-40 minutes east of Quepos (on a very bumpy and rutted road) in the Highlands near Esquipulas, the 84 hectare Esquipulas Rainforest Preserve offers bird watching on the trails, a feeding station, a small restaurant, a coffee tour and tipis you can sleep in overnight.

BIRDS SEEN: Baltimore Oriole, Blue Dacnis, Blue-Gray Tanager, Buff-throated Saltator, Clay-colored Thrush, Golden-naped Woodpecker, Great Kiskadee Flycatcher, Green Honeycreeper, Palm Tanager, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Summer Tanager, Thick-billed Euphonia, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Yellow-throated Toucan, Yellow-throated Euphonia

Finca Ecologica San Luis Reserve

Located in the San Luis Valley about 25 minutes southeast of Monteverde, the Finca Ecologica San Luis Reserve offers great birding opportunities with a series of trails and a number of covered feeding gardens (which is great when it’s pouring rain). They also have a swimming hole, a campground and a small restaurant on-site where you can eat breakfast or lunch – we had the pizza and it was pretty tasty. Note the road to get there is quite bumpy for the last several miles. They offer both guided tours and day passes for self-guided tours.

BIRDS SEEN: Baltimore Oriole, Black-Hawk Eagle, Blue-gray Tanager, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Brown Jay, Buff-throated Saltator, Clay-colored Thrush, Crimson-collared Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Great Kiskadee Flycatcher, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Keel-billed Toucan, Lesson’s Motmot, Montezuma Oropendola, Northern-emerald Toucanet, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Palm Tanager, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Squirrel Cuckoo, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Yellow-throated Euphonia

Trail map for the Finca Ecologica San Luis Reserve

Arenal Observatory Lodge

This property near La Fortuna has an awesome large Observation Deck and many trails to hike. They even have an Eagle’s Nest you can climb up to to see birds in the Tree Canopy.

If you don’t stay at the hotel or eat at the full-service restaurant, you can buy a day pass to come explore the property and look for birds. They put fruit out in the early afternoon and a feeding frenzy follows.

Next time we come to La Fortuna, we will try to stay at the property for non-stop bird watching!!

BIRDS SEEN: Bay Wren, Black-striped Sparrow, Blue-gray Tanager, Carmiol’s Tanager, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Collared Aracari, Crested Guan, Emerald Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Gray headed Chachalaca, Great Curassow (one of my absolute favorite birds to photograph!), Green-fronted Lancebill, Montezuma Oropendola, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, Turkey Vulture, Yellow-throated Toucan,

Reserva Natural Valle de los Quetzales

Located about 25-30 minutes northwest of San Ramon, this very small reserve offers a wonderful feeding garden. With a Day pass, you can rest under a covered area and watch the birds come and go, even if it’s raining!

BIRDS SEEN: Baltimore Oriole, Black Vulture, Black-headed Saltator, Blue-gray Tanager, Brown Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Golden-hooded Tanager, Great Kiskadee Flycatcher, Green Honeycreeper, Lesson’s Motmot, Montezuma Oropendola, Northern-emerald Toucanet, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Spot-breasted Oriole, White-winged Dove

Of course, we saw birds in lots of other places such as the tree outside our lodging in Monteverde, Stella’s Restaurant of Monteverde, Kapi Kapi Restaurant outside of Santa Elena, Carara National Park near Jaco, Cano Negro National Wildlife Refuge, La Paz Waterfall Gardens and the beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park.

Places that we didn’t have time to visit, but others have recorded lots of birds include the Bogarin Trail in La Fortuna, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal Volcano National Park, La Selva Biological Station in Puerto Viejo de Sarpiqui, Selva Verde Lodge and Rainforest Reserve.

Two places I for sure want to visit on our next trip to Costa Rica are the Rancho Naturalista Bird Watching Lodge and the Santa Juana Lodge.

More Info on Costa Rica

Here are some more posts about Costa Rica, including some that I’m still working on. If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form above.

Monteverde / Santa Elena Rainforest Area

Manuel Antonio / Quepos Area

La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano Area

More on Bird and Wildlife Watching Around the World

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