Costa Rica’s lush rainforests and diverse ecosystems make it a paradise for bird watchers from around the world. With over 900 bird species calling this Central American gem home, you’re guaranteed colorful sightings on any visit.
Whether you’re an experienced birder or just love wildlife, these stunning birds will make your Costa Rican adventure unforgettable.
1. The Living Rainbow
Ever seen a flying rainbow? That’s the Scarlet Macaw soaring through Costa Rica’s skies. These magnificent parrots flash brilliant red, yellow, and blue plumage against green forest backdrops.
Nearly extinct in some regions, conservation efforts have helped populations recover in places like Carara National Park. Their raucous calls echo through the forest, announcing their presence long before you spot them.
2. Floating Jewels
Barely larger than your thumb, hummingbirds defy physics with wings beating up to 80 times per second. Costa Rica hosts over 50 species, including the enchanting Violet Sabrewing.
Males sport stunning violet-purple plumage that shimmers in sunlight, while their curved bills perfectly match the flowers they feed from. Watch for them hovering at feeders in cloud forest lodges around Monteverde.
3. Nature’s Comedian
With a bill seemingly too large for its body, the Keel-billed Toucan looks like it might topple forward at any moment. This cartoon-like character sports a rainbow-colored bill against jet-black plumage.
Early risers catch these playful birds hopping between trees in lowland rainforests. Listen for their frog-like croaking calls echoing through the canopy as they toss berries into the air before catching them.
4. The Dancing Umbrella Bird
Picture a bird with an Elvis-like pompadour and a throat sac that inflates like a red balloon. That’s the Bare-throated Umbrellabird, one of Costa Rica’s most bizarre avian residents.
Males perform elaborate courtship displays, puffing their throat wattles while making deep booming calls. Found in high-altitude forests, these crow-sized oddities grow to 16 inches long with their distinctive crest fully extended.
5. Emerald Knights
Imagine emeralds taking flight! Resplendent Quetzals were sacred to ancient Mayans, who considered killing one punishable by death. Males grow spectacular twin tail feathers that can reach three feet long.
Dawn visits to cloud forests around San Gerardo de Dota offer your best chance to spot these elusive birds. Watch for their distinctive undulating flight pattern as they move between wild avocado trees, their favorite food source.
6. Feathered Fishermen
From a distance, they appear as living statues – Great Blue Herons standing motionless in shallow waters. Patience is their superpower as they wait for the perfect moment to strike, spearing fish with lightning-fast precision.
These elegant birds stand nearly four feet tall with wingspans reaching six feet. Look for them along coastal mangroves and inland waterways, where their slow, deliberate hunting technique has remained unchanged for millennia.
7. Tropical Vampires
Don’t worry – these vampires prefer fruit to blood! Common Fruit Bats… wait, we’re talking about birds. The striking Red-legged Honeycreeper might change your perception of avian beauty forever. Males display an electric blue body with contrasting black wings and vibrant red legs.
These tiny jewels flit between flowering trees, using specialized brush-tipped tongues to lap nectar. Find them at mid-elevations throughout Costa Rica’s forests.
8. Sky Pirates
Watching a Magnificent Frigatebird in action feels like witnessing aerial piracy. These masters of the sky harass other seabirds until they drop their catch, which the frigatebird snatches mid-air.
Males sport inflatable scarlet throat pouches during breeding season, puffing them up like balloons to attract females. Their massive seven-foot wingspan and deeply forked tail make them unmistakable silhouettes along Costa Rica’s Pacific coastline.
9. Technicolor Dreambirds
Imagine six different birds crashed into one, and you’ll get something like the Fiery-billed Aracari. This smaller toucan relative sports a crazy patchwork of colors: yellow breast with red band, black back, and a multicolored bill.
Social creatures, they travel in small family groups through forest canopies. Their cooperative breeding habits mean several birds often help raise a single nest of young. Find them exclusively in Costa Rica’s southern Pacific lowlands.
10. Midnight Rainbows
Against dark forest understory, the Blue-crowned Motmot appears like neon graffiti sprayed by nature. These otherworldly birds sport turquoise crowns, rufous backs, and tennis racket-shaped tails they swing like pendulums.
Dawn visitors to forest edges might spot them on exposed perches, where they sit motionless before darting out to catch insects. Their haunting, deep “whoop-whoop” calls sound more like an owl than a songbird.
11. Winged Flames
Flashing through the forest like living embers, Flame-colored Tanagers bring tropical heat to Costa Rica’s highlands. Males display brilliant orange-red plumage that seems to glow against green foliage.
These active birds never sit still, constantly foraging for fruits and insects. Listen for their distinctive chip notes as they move through mixed feeding flocks. Savvy birders check flowering trees around Cerro de la Muerte, where they’re frequently spotted.
12. Forest Ghosts
Secretive and seldom seen, the Sunbittern moves like a shadow along forest streams. When startled, it unfurls hidden wing patterns resembling giant eyes – a stunning defense mechanism that startles predators.
Their cryptic coloration blends perfectly with dappled light on forest floors. Patient watchers might glimpse them performing graceful, slow-motion hunting along waterways in places like La Selva Biological Station, where they stalk small fish and insects.
13. Masked Bandits
Sporting black masks like cartoon burglars, White-throated Magpie-Jays command attention with their punk-rock head crests and long, sweeping tails. These intelligent birds travel in noisy family groups through dry forests.
More than just pretty faces, they’re problem-solvers capable of using tools to extract food. Listen for their varied repertoire of calls, including perfect mimicry of other birds. Guanacaste’s dry forests offer prime viewing of these charismatic troublemakers.
14. Feathered Raindrops
No bigger than your pinky finger, the Snowcap Hummingbird defies expectations with its purple body and startling white crown that looks like a dollop of whipped cream. Males perform elaborate U-shaped courtship flights to impress females.
These tiny dynamos defend flowering territories with outsized aggression, chasing away birds many times their size. Find them at mid-elevation forests on the Caribbean slope, where they favor red tubular flowers perfectly matched to their specialized bills.
15. Tropical Royalty
Wearing crowns of iridescent blue-green feathers, royal flycatchers keep their most spectacular feature hidden most of the time. When excited or during courtship, males unfurl their stunning crests like peacock fans.
These riverside specialists build hanging nests that dangle precariously over water. Though widespread, they’re rarely seen displaying their full crest. Patient birders sometimes get lucky along rivers in Corcovado National Park, where they sally out from perches to catch flying insects.