BIRDS OF COSTA RICA

Costa Rica is home to an impressive number of species of birds that vary from residents, that stay all year around, to wintering birds, that spend a good part of the growing season in North America to raise their young, migrants who pass through Costa Rica with the seasons, to breeding birds which either like to spend a good part of the northern winter in Costa Rica to escape colder conditions up north and breed, or they are residents. While many species of birds are relatively common as they are part of the ecosystems of the country, it is always a thrill to stumble upon a rare bird or vagrant, that does not really form part of any the Costa Rica ecosystems. Maybe it got lost during its travels between its summer and winter residence or it got displaced by bad weather.

Among the species of the checklist of the birds of Costa Rica you can find  waterfowl and wading birds, a large suite of song birds, raptors, game birds, swifts and nighthawks, etc., many of which occupy several ecosystems simultaneously, as they fly to and from forests, meadows, shorelines of waters, cities and and urban green spaces. At Birdlist, we have developed a coding system that can help you predict when you may expect a certain species, with a code for seasonality, such as resident, nesting, wintering, etc. A code for abundance will give you a clue on the likelihood that you may actually see a certain species of bird. As we progressed with the coding, we realized that there should be a differentiation in the coding for "common", such as less common, common and very common birds. However, this would require reliable quantative data, which for most countries, are not revealed by commission of bird records. We hope to provide those in the future. In the meantime, enjoy the birdlist of Costa Rica.