Costa Rica Bird Watching is world class and offers an incredible diversity of bird species in a very small area. Bird watching is one of the many great reasons to travel to Costa Rica. There are about 850 bird species which is more than can be found in an area the size of North America.

Cotsta Rica bird watching l ist is as follows:

• 16 species of parrots including the fabulous scarlet macaw.
• 50 species of hummingbirds.
• 10 species of trogons with the resplendent quetzal as the jewel.
• 6 species of toucans, including the keel-billed and chestnut-mandibled.
• Half the bird species in Costa Rica are passerines including warblers, sparrows and finches.
• 16 species of ducks, including the fulvous whistling, white-faced ruddy and American wigeon.
• 13 species of falcons, including the peregrine falcon, merlin and American kestrel.
• 36 species of prey, including the gray hawk, swallow-tailed kite, solitary eagle and northern harrier.
• 6 species of cracidae which look like turkeys.
• 8 species of new world quails.
• 15 species of rallideas including the rufous-necked wood-rail, American coot and ruddy crake.
• 19 species of owls including the black-and-white, Costa Rican pygmy, central American pygmy and striped.
• 3 species of potoos including the great, northern and common.
• 16 species of woodpeckers, including cinnamon, chestnut-colored and pale-billed.

For those heading to the Costa Rica coastline, a Costa Rica Bird Watching — coastal seabirds list might be useful.

• 19 species of herons & wading birds such as the great blue heron, great egret, boat-billed heron, reddish egret and yellow-crowned night-heron.
• 2 species of recurvirostraide which are waders and include the black-necked stilt and American avocet.
• 2 species of jacans including the northern and wattled.
• 34 species of scolopacidae including the short-billed dowitcher, spotted sandpiper, wandering tattler, surfbird, and red phalarope.
• 9 species of gulls including the gray, Heermann's and ring-billed.
• 14 species of sternidae (terns) including the gull-billed tern, Forster's tern, least tern and white tern.
• 4 species of vultures including the the king culture.
• 24 species of doves and pigeons.
• 11 species of swifts including the black, spot-fronted and Costa Rican.
• 6 species of kingfishers including the green, Amazon and American pygmy.
• 5 species of threskiornithidaes including the roseate spoonbill and white-faced ibis.
• 2 species of ciconiidae including the wood stork and jabiru

Costa Rica Bird Watching — Popular Bird Watching Hot Spots

Costa Rica bird watching — popular spots are as follows:

• Monteverde Cloud Forest has more than 400 species of birds, including resplendent quetzals.
• Tortuguero National Park has 300 species of birds.
• Santa Rosa National Park has more than 250 species of birds.
• Cahuita National Park has toucans, parrots, rufous kingfishers; the park is on the beach.
• La Sevla Biological Station in the northern lowlands has 420 species of birds.
• Helconia Island has 228 species of birds.
• Corcovado National Park has 400 species of birds and 1,200 scarlet macaws.
• Huedal Nacional Terraba-Sierpe has a myriad of birds along the coast and swamps.
• Carara National Park has 400 species of birds.
• Tarcoles has 400 species of birds and great river tours highlighting crocodiles.
• Whale Marine National Park has frigate birds, boobies, ibises and pelicans.
• La Amistad National Park has 500 species of birds including resplendent quetzals.
• Manuel Antonio National Park has 350 species of birds and three lovely beaches.