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E-mail: font@focusonnature.com
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Birds and
Other Wildlife
during the
Focus On Nature Tour
in northern & southern
Costa
Rica
in February
2011
List compiled by Armas Hill,
leader of the tour
Dates:
February
1-14, 2011
Codes:
N: in Northern Costa Rica
S: in Southern Costa Rica
(t): a globally threatened or rare
species, designated by Birdlife International.
(t1): critical (t2): endangered (t3): vulnerable
(nt): a near-threatened species globally.
(CRi): introduced in Costa Rica
(CRe): Costa Rican endemic
(CRne): Costa Rica near-endemic
(CRr): rare in Costa Rica.
(h): heard only
Photo at upper right of a SPECKLED TANAGER, one of many colorful tanagers during the tour
Our February 2011 Costa Rica Tour,
our 30th in the country, was unusual in that it was planned to be only in the
highlands. We received a request from someone who lives in a part of the world
where it is usually cool asking that we'd do a 2-week Costa Rican tour where
"it not be hot".
As we do like to please, and as we tend to be as flexible as possible, we
prepared such an itinerary - to be in both the northern and the southern parts
of the country.
Even with the "limitation" of only the highlands, and with an
unforeseen 1-day delay starting the tour due to a flight situation, we had the
excellent tally of over 300 species of birds. (303 in all).
We did visit a lowland locality however, when we went for parts of 2 days &
1 night to a place at sea-level by the Gulf of Nicoya. That place was not in the
original itinerary, but was added as we did not go as planned to the Cano River,
a place mostly for waterbirds including waders such as various
herons and egrets, cormorants and anhinga, and some
northern gallery forest specialties such as Black-headed Trogon.
At La Ensenada, our spot by the Gulf of Nicoya, we saw such birds and many more
- helping us, of course, attain our 300-plus species total.
We've visited La Ensenada during our tours in the past, and we've always had
excellent birding there. And, of course, the accommodations and meals are also
top quality. At La Ensenada, we would have taken a boat-trip in the mangroves,
but the morning that we were there, the tide was too low.
Traveling from La Ensenada to southern Costa Rica, we made another alteration by
taking a quicker route along the Pacific coast, bypassing the
congested San Jose metropolitan area. Doing so, we had a wonderful encounter,
that we otherwise would not have had, with about a dozen Scarlet Macaws
in trees atop a rocky cliff by the ocean.
During our Costa Rica tour, about one year
earlier, in March 2010, also in the northern and southern parts of the
country, we tallied about 400 bird species.
But, the big difference was that we did considerable birding in the
lowlands.
We were not able, in 2010 however, to bird in some good Caribbean slope
habitat, at all, due to a strong earthquake that had occurred in that region a
few months earlier.
During our February 2011 tour, when we went to some of the places in that area
that had been particularly good in the past, we found the birding sadly still to
be poor, due, among other things, to landslides that caused habitat
destruction.
At one particular place, a restaurant with hummingbird feeders, that was very good in past had, with a number of other buildings in that village, been
washed away down the steep mountainside. The spot where we used to see, nicely,
about a dozen species of hummingbirds was gone. The lady who owned the place
survived fortunately, and at the time of our tour she was just beginning to put together a new similar
site, but we found it to be just a small wooden shack with only 1 or 2
hummingbird feeders, where we saw only one species well, and another quickly.
But the good news was that I learned of a new road, just made since the
earthquake, for the construction of new communication towers, parallel to the
"road of destruction".
My experience in the Neotropics, over the years, has been that it is fortunate
indeed to find a "new" road, particularly with still some forested
habitat, and it was especially so in the region of the Caribbean slope,
where birds during our tour would be there and nowhere else. Among the birds in
that category for us, along that road, were the White Hawk, Black-bellied
Hummingbird, and Black-faced Grosbeak. All of these, and some others,
were not among the 400 species during our tour the previous year.
Among our bird highlights in February 2011
were these, in addition to the Scarlet Macaws:
both male & female Turquoise Cotinga, male & female Three-wattled
Bellbird (both seen!!), and male & female Resplendent Quetzal.
Also, in balance, our experiences overall in 2011 with hummingbirds and
manakins were better than in 2010. As examples, the White-collared
Manakin and Black-crested Coquette were not seen in 2010. Nor was the
Three-wattled Bellbird.
By going high up into the mountains, early one morning, with a slight schedule
adjustment, we were able to find some notably ""good birds""
such as the Buffy Tuftedcheek and, throughout the tour, as many as 4
species of nightingale-thrushes. Also, in those high mountains that
morning, there was our first quetzal, sitting on tree branch in the
sunlight. It quickly flew, and it was a female. In 2010, the Buffy
Tuftedcheek was not seen, and our number of nightingale-thrush species
was half as many.
In all, during our tour in 2011, 219 species of birds were found
in northern Costa Rica, and 165 species in the southern part of
the country.
Following, here, is the complete list of the 300-plus bird species during our February
2011 tour. After it, there's a listing of some of the other wildlife
that we saw.
Please also click the first link below for more about this tour in February 2011
in Costa Rica. There is more text to this write-up, beyond what is here.
Links:
More
about the FONT Costa Rica Tour in February 2011
Cumulative
List of Birds of Costa Rica
A
Photographic Sampling of Colorful Costa Rican Birds
List of Central American Mammals & Some Other Wildlife
List of Selected Central American Butterflies
Upcoming
FONT Birding & Nature Tours in Costa Rica
Bird-List:
- Great Tinamou - N,S
- Gray-headed Chachalaca - N,S
- Crested Guan - S
- Black Guan - N
- Black-breasted Wood Quail (nt) - N
- Black-bellied Whistling Duck - N
- Wood Stork - N
- American White Ibis - N
- Roseate Spoonbill - N,S
- Cattle Egret - N,S
- Green Heron - N,S
- Little Blue Heron - N
- Tricolored Heron - N
- Snowy Egret - N
- Great Egret - N,S
- Great Blue Heron - N
- Bare-throated Tiger Heron - N
- Yellow-crowned Night Heron - N
- Boat-billed Heron - S
- Magnificent Frigatebird - N
- Brown Pelican - N
- Neotropic Cormorant - S
- Anhinga - N
- Turkey Vulture - N,S
- Black Vulture - N,S
- Northern Crested Caracara - N
- Yellow-headed Caracara - S
- Laughing Falcon - S
- Osprey - N,S
- Swallow-tailed Kite - S
- White-tailed Kite - S
- Snail Kite - N
- White Hawk - N
- Roadside Hawk - N,S
- Broad-winged Hawk - N,S
- Short-tailed Hawk - N
- White-tailed Hawk - N
- Red-tailed Hawk - S
- Gray-necked Wood-Rail - N,S
- White-throated Crake - N (h)
- Common Gallinule (or Moorhen) - S
- Purple Gallinule - N,S
- Northern Jacana - N,S
- Black-necked Stilt - N
- Gray (or Black-bellied) Plover - N
- Semipalmated Plover - N
- Wilson's Plover - N
- Collared Plover - N
- Southern Lapwing - N
- Whimbrel - N
- Lesser Yellowlwgs - N
- Willet - N
- Solitary Sandpiper - N
- Spotted Sandpiper - N
- Ruddy Turnstone - N
- Western Sandpiper - N
- Least Sandpiper - N
- Stilt Sandpiper - N
- Short-billed Dowitcher - N
- Laughing Gull - N
- Royal Tern - N
- Sandwich Tern - N
- Feral Pigeon (i) - N,S
- Scaled Pigeon - S
- Pale-vented Pigeon - N
- Red-billed Pigeon - N
- Short-billed Pigeon - S
- White-winged Dove - N
- Common Ground Dove - N
- Ruddy Ground Dove - N,S
- Inca Dove - N
- White-tipped (formerly White-fronted) Dove -
N,S
- Gray-chested Dove - S
- Chiriqui Quail-Dove - S
- Scarlet Macaw - N
- Crimson-fronted Parakeet - N,S
- Orange-fronted Parakeet - N
- Sulphur-winged Parakeet - S
- Orange-chinned (or Tovi) Parakeet - N
- Brown-hooded Parrot - N
- Blue-headed Parrot - S
- White-crowned Parrot - N,S
- White-fronted Parrot - N
- Red-lored Parrot - N
- Squirrel Cuckoo - N,S
- Groove-billed Ani - N
- Smooth-billed Ani - S
- Tropical Screech Owl - S
- Pacific Screech-Owl - N
- Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - N
- Black-and-white Owl - S
- Mottled Owl - N
- Pauraque - N,S
- White-collared Swift - S
- Green Hermit - N,S
- Long-billed (formerly Long-tailed) Hermit -
N
- Stripe-throated (formerly Little) Hermit -
N
- Scaly-breasted Hummingbird -
N,S
- Violet Sabrewing - N
- White-necked Jacobin - N
- Green Violetear
- N,S
- Green-breasted Mango - N
- Violet-headed Hummingbird - N
- Black-crested Coquette - N
- Salvin's Emerald - N
- Violet-crowned Woodnymph - N,S
- Fiery-throated Hummingbird - S
- Steely-vented Hummingbird - N
- Rufous-tailed Hummingbird - N,S
- Black-bellied Hummingbird - N
- Coppery-headed Emerald (e) - N
- Purple-throated Mountain-gem - N
- Gray-tailed Mountain-gem (e) - S
- Green-crowned Brilliant - N
- Magnificent Hummingbird - N,S
- Magenta-throated Woodstar - N
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird - N
- Volcano Hummingbird - S
- Resplendent Quetzal (nt) - S
- Black-headed Trogon - N
- Collared Trogon - N,S
- Gartered (formerly Violaceous) Trogon -
S
- Ringed Kingfisher - N,S
- Amazon Kingfisher - S
- Green Kingfisher - N
- Rufous Motmot - N
- Turquoise-browed Motmot - N
- Blue-crowned Motmot - S
- Rufous-tailed Jacamar - S
- Emerald Toucanet - N
- Collared Aracari - N
- Fiery-billed Aracari - S
- Keel-billed Toucan - N,S
- Chestnut-mandibled (or Swainson's)
Toucan - N,S
- Olivaceous Piculet - S
- Acorn Woodpecker - S
- Black-cheeked Woodpecker - N
- Hoffmann's Woodpecker - N
- Red-crowned Woodpecker - S
- Hairy Woodpecker - N,S
- Lineated Woodpecker - N,S
- Red-capped Manakin - S
- Blue-crowned Manakin - S
- White-collared Manakin - N
- Masked Tityra - N
- Rose-throated Becard - N
- Rufous Piha - S
- Turquoise Cotinga (t3) - S
- Three-wattled Bellbird (t3) - S
- Black Phoebe - S
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - N
- Fork-tailed Flycatcher - S
- Tropical Kingbird - N,S
- Piratic Flycatcher - N,S
- Boat-billed Flycatcher - N,S
- Streaked Flycatcher - S
- Social Flycatcher - N,S
- Great Kiskadee - N,S
- Nutting's Flycatcher - N
- Brown-crested Flycatcher - N
- Dusky-capped Flycatcher - N,S
- Bright-rumped Attila - N
- Western Wood Pewee - S
- Tropical Pewee - S
- Dark Pewee - S
- Ochraceous Pewee - S
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - N
- Yellowish Flycatcher - S
- Northern Tufted Flycatcher - N
- Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher (or Myiobius) - N
- Yellow-olive Flatbill (or Flycatcher) -
N
- Eye-ringed Flatbill - S
- Common Tody-Flycatcher - N,S
- Northern Bentbill - N
- Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant - S
- Torrent Tyrannulet - N,S
- Yellow-bellied Elaenia - N,S
- Mountain Elaenia - N
- Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet - S
- Slaty-capped Flycatcher - N
- Barred Antshrike - N
- Black-hooded Antshrike - S
- Russet Antshrike - N
- Plain Antvireo - N
- Ruddy Treerunner - S
- Buffy Tuftedcheek - S
- Northern Barred Woodcreeper - N
- Cocoa Woodcreeper - S
- Spotted Woodcreeper - N,S
- Streak-headed Woodcreeper - N,S
- Spot-crowned Woodcreeper - S
- Rufous-browed Peppershrike - S
- Yellow-winged Vireo - S
- Yellow-throated Vireo - N,S
- Yellow-green Vireo - N
- Tawny-crowned Greenlet - S
- Lesser Greenlet - N
- Brown Jay - N,S
- White-throated Magpie-Jay - N
- Gray-breasted Martin - N,S
- Mangrove Swallow - N,S
- Blue-and-white Swallow - N,S
- Northern Rough-winged swallow - N,S
- Southern Rough-winged Swallow - N
- Barn Swallow - N,S
- Rufous-naped Wren - N
- Rufous-breasted Wren - S
- Riverside Wren - S
- Plain Wren - N,S
- (Southern) House Wren - N,S
- Gray-breasted Wood-Wren - N,S
- Northern Nightingale-Wren - N,S
- Tropical Gnatcatcher - S
- Black-faced Solitaire - N
- Black-billed
Nightingale-Thrush - S
- Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush - N
- Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush - N,S
- Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush - S
- Swainson's Thrush - S
- Wood Thrush - N
- Sooty Thrush/Robin - S
- Mountain Thrush/Robin - S
- Clay-colored Thrush/Robin - N,S
- White-throated Thrush - N
- American Dipper - N,S
- House Sparrow - N,S
- Scrub Euphonia - N
- Yellow-crowned Euphonia - N,S
- Yellow-throated Euphonia - S
- Spot-crowned Euphonia - S
- Tawny-capped Euphonia - N
- Black-and-white Warbler - N,S
- Prothonotary Warbler - N
- Golden-winged Warbler - N
- Tennessee Warbler - N,S
- Flame-throated Warbler - S
- Yellow Warbler - N
- Chestnut-sided Warbler - N,S
- Black-throated Green Warbler - N,S
- Blackburnian Warbler - S
- American Redstart - N
- Louisiana Waterthrush - N,S
- Olive-crowned Yellowthroat - N
- Wilson's Warbler - N,S
- Slate-throated Whitestart (or Redstart) -
N
- Collared Whitestart (or Redstart) -
N,S
- Stripe-crowned (or Golden-crowned) Warbler
- N
- Black-cheeked Warbler - S
- Three-striped Warbler - N
- Buff-rumped Warbler - N,S
- Montezuma Oropendola - N
- Black-cowled Oriole - N
- Streak-backed Oriole - N
- Baltimore Oriole - N.S
- Orchard Oriole - N
- Red-winged Blackbird - N
- Red-breasted Blackbird - S
- Eastern Meadowlark - N,S
- Melodious Blackbird - N,S
- Great-tailed Grackle - N,S
- Bronzed (or Red-eyed) Cowbird - N,S
- Bananaquit - N,S
- Orange-billed Sparrow - S
- Black-striped Sparrow - N
- Stripe-headed Sparrow - N
- Volcano Junco - S
- Rufous-collared Sparrow - N,S
- Common Bush Tanager - N
- Sooty-capped Bush Tanager - N,S
- Black-and-yellow Tanager - N
- Gray-headed Tanager - S
- Tawny-crested Tanager - N
- Tooth-billed (formerly Hepatic) Tanager - N
- Summer Tanager - N,S
- Flame-colored Tanager - S
- Crimson-collared Tanager - N
- Passerini's (formerly Scarlet-rumped) Tanager
- N
- Cherrie's (formerly Scarlet-rumped) Tanager
- S
- Blue-gray Tanager - N,S
- Palm Tanager - N,S
- Silver-throated Tanager - S
- Speckled Tanager - S
- Bay-headed Tanager - S
- Golden-hooded Tanager - N,S
- Spangle-cheeked Tanager - N
- Scarlet-thighed Dacnis - S
- Blue Dacnis - S
- Green Honeycreeper - N,S
- Shining Honeycreeper - N
- Red-legged Honeycreeper - N,S
- Slaty Flower-piercer - N,S
- Yellow-faced Grassquit - N
- White-collared Seedeater - N
- Variable Seedeater - N,S
- Blue-black Grassquit - N.S
- Large-footed Finch - S
- Yellow-thighed Finch - S
- Buff-throated Saltator - N,S
- (Northern) Grayish Saltator - N
- Streaked Saltator - S
- Black-faced Grosbeak - N
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak - N,S
- Blue-black Grosbeak - S
Mammals & Some Other Wildlife during
the Focus On Nature Tour in Costa Rica
in February 2011
1. Mantled Howler Monkey -
N,S
2. Central American Spider Monkey - S
3. White-faced Capuchin (Monkey) - N,S
4. Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth - N
5. Bushy-tailed Olingo - N
6. White-nosed Coati - N
7. Central American Agouti - S
8. Variegated Squirrel - N
9. Red-tailed Squirrel - N,S
10. bats - N,S
11. Morelet's Crocodile - N,S
12. Ctenosaur - N
13. Green Iguana - S
14. House Gecko (i) - N,S
15. Morpho Butterflies - N,S
16. other butterflies - (including some elsewhere in this web-site in the "Butterflies of Central America" list,
noted with the code "CR")
17. leaf-cutter & other forest ants - N