May 6, 2018 - Costa Rica - Spectacular Birds

My first trip to Costa Rica was four years ago and I saw many new birds to add to my life list. But, as I looked through my “Birds of Costa Rica” book, I saw others that made me say to myself, “I want to see that one!” This time I did see some of those “spectacular” birds and I was able to photograph them. Some have interesting characteristics, some are just plain beautiful, and some have cool-sounding names.

I spotted this Sunbittern as our bus drove across a one-lane bridge passing over a small stream. On the other side of the bridge, the bus driver pulled over and we all got out and had good looks at this 18-inch-long bird. It looks like a heron but is actually the only member of its family.

SunbitternFortunaAreaCostaRica20180409

This Squirrel Cuckoo perched right above us as we took a guided walk around the grounds of the Rainforest Lodge in Sarapiquis. It is 18 inches long, including its very long tail. My one regret is that I didn’t get a photo of the underside of the tail which would show two rows of big white spots on a background of black feathers.

CuckooSquirrelRainforestLodgeSarapiquisCostaRica20180406

One of our guides saw this Laughing Falcon as we were traveling in the La Fortuna area. It typically perches in a tree looking for snakes, its main food item. The dark mask is a distinctive field mark. It has a loud call and often calls back and forth with another falcon. This duet speeds up until it sounds like crazed laughing, hence the name of the bird.

FalconLaughingFortunaAreaCostaRica20180409

The Boat-billed Heron is in the same family as our Black and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. The massive bill, however, sets it apart. It roosts during the day in vegetation along a water source. As you can see, it blends into the surroundings so well that only the sharp eyes of our guides allowed us a look at this interesting bird. We saw it during a boat trip on the Tarcoles River.

HeronBoatbilledtripTarcolesRiverCostaRica20180411

These Green Ibis were also seen on the Tarcoles River boat trip. They are in the same family as the White Ibis that we see in the United States. They were perched in the shade, so the green plumage doesn’t show up as well as it should.

IbisGreenBoattriptheSarapiquiRiverCostaRica20180407

One could almost confuse this White-throated Magpie-Jay with our Blue Jay, except for the plume of white feathers on its head. At 19 inches long, it’s also quite a bit bigger than the 11-inch Blue Jay. We saw it at a lookout stop near Arenal Volcano. Both species have a large vocabulary of quite varied calls.

MagpieJayWhitethroatedArenalVolcanoObservationAreaFortunaCostaRica20180409

The Buff-throated Saltator is common in the lower and middle elevations in Costa Rica. It has a large grosbeak-like bill and does have a buffy-white patch on its throat. Our guides helped me with the correct pronunciation of Saltator. The last part of the name is like the short word for potato (tater).

SaltatorBuffthroatedHotelArenalManoaCarlosCostaRica20180410

Here’s the one that inspired me to label this set of photos “Spectacular Birds.” Not only does the Turquoise-browed Motmot have a really cool name, it is spectacularly beautiful and has a unique extended feather on its tail. Wow! It is the national bird of Nicaragua. This is another bird seen on the Tarcoles River boat tour.

MotmotTurquoisebrowedBoattripTarcolesRiverCostaRica20180411