Birds Waching

BIRD WATCHING

Costa Rica has long been famous among serious bird watchers, but many people who would never consider the activity at home quickly become interested in the country's spectacular avian diversity. With almost 850 species of birds -- more than in all of North America -- packed into an area half the size of Kentucky, it's hard not to become enthused about the variety of feathered creatures one encounters in Costa Rica. And the country's travel agencies can provide experienced nature guides who make any bird watching expedition an educational experience.

One of the reasons for Costa Rica's extraordinary bird life is the country's great variety of habitats: rain forests, mangrove swamps, beaches, cloud forest, rivers, etc. And any two of those ecosystems, with their resident bird species, are often only a short distance apart. Birders from North America who visit Costa Rica during the northern winter invariably recognize familiar faces in the forest, since many species of warblers, flycatchers, vireos, orioles, etc. migrate to Costa Rica every winter.

The country's exemplary system of national parks and protected areas provide more than ample stomping grounds for birders, but just about anywhere you look in Costa Rica, you spot interesting avian species. Even some of the hotels in the San Jose area have such colorful critters as blue-grey tanagers, great kiskadees and crimson-fronted parakeets in their gardens. However, those interested in bird watching will want to see the resplendent quetzal, which lives in the cloud forests of Monteverde, los Santos region and the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, and the equally spectacular scarlet macaw, which can bee seen on the Osa Peninsula or the area around Carara Biological Reserve.

BIRD WATCHING:
Birding in Costa Rica is an extraordinary experience. With 878 species recorded to date, Costa Rica offers to birders great birdwatching opportunities within relatively short distances, involving very diverse habitats from sea level to high mountains above 12000 feet.

Exciting guided tours and itineraries take you to wonderful locations where you are able to enjoy the best of birding in Costa Rica.

Anyone visiting Manuel Antonio National Park will surely notice flocks of brown pelicans gracefully soaring overhead, plunging headlong into the sea after fish, or maybe even "wind surfing" as they playfully glide along the face of a wave with a wingtip almost skimming the wall of water. Magnificent frigate birds - large dark birds with long pointed wings and forked tails - will probably grab your attention, too, as they effortlessly cruise on the slightest breeze.

If you are at all interested in birds, you know that most species are not as easily seen as pelicans and frigate birds. But for those who make an attempt to find them, the Manuel Antonio area harbors hundreds of surprises. More than 270 species, including migrants, can potentially be observed in the park and the surrounding area extending to Quepos and the local airstrip.

We hope you find this site helpful when planning your birding vacation in Costa Rica, our staff will be happy to assit you with your technical questions about birds, locations, and other details to make of your trip the best birdwatching experience you could possibly have in this neotropical country.

Jaco Beach is just about 1 hour drive from San Jose the Capital of Costa Rica..