Costa Rica 2026

In January 2026, Siân and I went on holiday to Costa Rica. The trip was a combination of travel and a beach holiday. When planning our trip with a company called Tribes, we specified that we wanted to see some wildlife, particularly animals and birds, and that we wanted to travel from the Caribbean coast to the Pacific coast via the highlands. We were in the county for two weeks and had a hired SUV for all that time.

I am not a photographer, so the images accompanying this blog are essentially ‘record shots’ of some of the birds and animals we encountered, taken with my Nikon B700 bridge camera. However, I found photographing birds in Costa Rica quite frustrating. We saw many species at dawn or dusk, when the light was not ideal, and we also saw many species in the rainforest, where it is dark, or the birds are high in the trees. So, I missed photographing many of the species that we saw, but I did my best!

There is a full list of the birds and the vertebrate animals that we saw and could identify at the end of this blog. There may be some mistakes, so please let me know if you spot any!

Cocles, near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

We arrived at our first stop at Cocles near Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, right down in the far south-east corner of the country and close to the border with Panama. We arrived very late, so we checked in and went to bed.

At dawn, and full of excitement, we were up and exploring the hotel gardens and beach. On a quick walk to the beach, we saw Royal Tern, Spotted Sandpiper and Hudsonian Whimbrel. Then on our way back to the hotel, there was a flock of eight Toucans, six Yellow-throated Toucan and two Keel-billed Toucan feeding on palm fruits in fantastic light about 2m above our heads! Stupidly, in my rush to get out, I had left my camera in the hotel room and by the time I went and got it, the flock had moved on! (We saw the toucans every day we were here, but they were often high in the trees and difficult to photograph. We also saw a few Collared Aracari (another toucan species) while in Cocles).

The rest of the day was spent recovering from the journey and looking around the local area, where I saw: Black-cheeked Woodpecker, White-necked Puffbird, Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigate-bird, Black Vulture, Pale-vented Pigeon, Great Kiskadee, Great-tailed Grackle, Roadside Hawk, Bananaquit, Tropical Kingbird, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Golden-hooded Tanager, Palm Tanager, Blue-grey Tanager, Common Black-Hawk, Osprey, Tri-coloured Heron, Stripe-throated Hermit, Herring Gull, Gray-cowled Rail and Long-billed Hermit.

Black Vultures waiting for the day to warm up

Pale-vented Pigeon

Tropical Kingbird

Black Vulture

Tri-coloured Heron on the hotel beach

Terrible image of two Collared Aracari!

Roadside Hawk at the side of the road

Roadside Hawk watching me 'like a hawk' eating breakfast!

The next morning, I got up early again. While walking to the beach, I noticed a ‘lump’ in the top of the tree. As I watched, and the sun came up, the lump became a sloth (Brown-throated Sloth). I went back to the room to get Siân, as she really wanted to see a sloth, and we watched it feeding in the top of a tree for half an hour before breakfast.

What is that furry ball?

Rise and shine!

Time for breakfast!

Siân is pointing to the sloth

After breakfast, we were picked up for our first tour, a group tour of the nearby Cahuita National Park. We were led by Rudolpho (Rudy), a local guide from Cahuita who was in his 60s. Rudy was not a bird guide per se, but a general wildlife guide. There were four of us in the group, and we first went for a snorkel over the Cahuita point reef. The visibility was not great due to some stormy weather the previous day, but we covered about 300m along the reef and saw many fish. (Apologies to any ichthyologists, but I haven't looked up the species we saw). Upon arriving at Cahuita point, we were greeted by a troop of Panamanian White-faced Capuchin Monkey and a Racoon who were all interested in what was in our bags!

As we walked back along the path from Cahuita point, we saw Mantled Howler Monkey, Eye-lash Viper,Tarantula sp. and many Green Iguana. We also saw about six more sloths, most of these being Hoffman’s two-toed Sloth. Being the middle of the day, it was quiet for birds but new species that we had not already seen include: Tropical Mockingbird, Clay-colored Thrush, Passerini's Tanager, Ringed Kingfisher, Little-blue Heron Snowy Egret and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.

Eyelash Viper

A large Eyelash Viper

A family of Mantled Howler Monkey

Royal Terns

Green Iguana

Mother and baby Hoffman’s two-toed Sloth

The mother and baby sloth were in this tree on the beach!

During the afternoon, while relaxing around the pool, we heard a great commotion followed by a flyover of five Great Green Macaw! The Great Green Macaw is a critically endangered species, with fewer than 600 birds in Costa Rica. However, the Caribbean Coast is a stronghold for them, and the Ara Manzanillo reintroduction station is only a few miles from Cocles. Whether these were fully wild birds or part of the reintroduction programme, I do not know. I saw another three birds the following day.

Green Iguana above the hotel pool

 

Central American Agouti around the hotel site

Turrialba

After a few days on the coast, it was time to have a change of scene as we headed from the coast inland to the Turrialba Valley.

The Turrialba Valley is one of the best bird-watching destinations in Costa Rica. The forest teems with birds, and we were staying at Rancho Naturalista, which has recorded over 450 species in its local area. Rancho Natulaista is set up for birding. It has a feeding station for hummingbirds and other forest species, and guides are available to take you around the ranch’s trails night and day.

On arrival, I quickly checked into our room and headed out into the rainforest, as there were a couple of trails that led off from the ranch right by our room. Before long, I was in the forest and trying to identify a dozen different species. Those I identified were either very obvious birds or birds I had some familiarity with: Some of the new species seen then were Chestnut-sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Brown Jay, Gartered Trogon, Crested Guan, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Montezuma Oropendola, Lesson's Motmot and Crested Caracara. Fortunately, we had a guide booked the next morning to help with the forest species!

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Buff-throated Saltator

Collared Aracari

Collared Aracari

Crested Guan

Brown Jay

Keel-billed Toucan

Keel-billed Toucan

Great Kiskadee

Montezuma Oropendola

Lesson's Motmot

Social Flycatcher

Passerini's Tanager

White-tipped Dove

Female Golden-browed Chlorophonia (dull compared to the male, but I didn't get him on camera!)

Gartered Trogon

Summer Tanager

The next morning was intense. After a spot at the feeders looking at hummingbirds, we headed out, and Fabian, our guide, quickly added thirty plus species to our list (I won’t list them all here), but many Vireos and Tanagers listed at the end of this blog were seen here.

Fabian asked if there were any birds we’d specifically like to see. I asked if there were any sites for Sunbittern near the ranch, and he confirmed that there were. We took our hire car on a short trip to a river that ran through a steep and forested valley. We walked along the river for about a mile, adding a few new birds to our trip list, like Broad-winged Hawk, but no sign of a Sunbittern. Fabian then suggested another site. When we arrived, a group of men were collecting gravel from the river, and some children were playing in the water. It did not look good. However, after a brief search away from the people and after finding a Green Heron on a pond, Siân spotted a Sunbittern feeding along the small river. We saw a flash of its wings as it crossed from one side of the river to the other, and I managed to get a few photos of the bird hunting. Amazing. I’ve wanted to see a Sunbittern since seeing pictures of them in ‘The Encyclopaedia of Birds’ that I had for Christmas in 1982!

Sunbittern

That night, after a delicious dinner, I arranged for a night walk with Taylor, another guide at the ranch, into the rainforest with the hope of adding some owls to our growing list. Unfortunately, it started raining hard (luckily, Siân and I had invested in ponchos!) and so the noise in the forest was too great to listen for owls, though we did just manage to hear a Mottled Owl. However, what we did see, spiders, frogs, insects and whip scorpions, more than made up for getting a little damp. Being in a rainforest in the dark in the rain with the sound of frogs and insects was unforgettable, especially when we turned off all the lights and saw ‘lightning bugs’ glowing in the dark all around.

 

Tailless Whip Scorpion

Toad sp.

Dobsonfly species

Costa Rican Orange-kneed Tarantula

Tree Frog sp.

Tree Frog Sp.

Cricket sp.

Leaf-mimic Katydid sp.

Spider sp.

Rancho Natulaista is a famous site for the Snowcap, a tiny hummingbird. We saw three female Snowcap and a couple of males whilst at the ranch. These birds did not come to the feeders as they preferred the verbena bush flowers that were planted in the ranch’s garden. I did not manage to get a photo of a Snowcap, as they were too fast and were often chased away by the more dominant Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer. Other hummers seen here were Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Crowned Woodnymph, Garden Emerald, White-necked Jacobin, Green Thorntail and Violet Sabrewing.

Crowned Woodnymph

Garden Emerald

Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer

Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer

Green Thorntail

Garden Emerald

White-necked Jacobin

White-necked Jacobin

Variegated Squirrels love bananas!

White-nosed Coati

After two nights at the ranch, we drove on to our next stop.

 

San Gerardo de Dota

In our car, we climbed up into the Talamanca mountain range to Trogon Lodge, which is at about 2,200 meters (7,000 feet) in altitude. We were in the cloudforest in the Trogon National Park. The park is an excellent bird-watching destination, with some 200 species to be seen, including hummingbirds, woodpeckers, tanagers, and the Resplendent Quetzal.

Upon checking in, we confirmed we had a birdwatching guide booked for 8:30 am the next morning. However, the reception staff said that if we wanted to see Resplendent Quetzal, we would be best to book another guide at 5:15 am ($40 each). As we were at Trogon Lodge for two nights, I thought I’d see how the birding was the next morning and perhaps book a guide for 5:15 am the following day. As I tried to get to sleep that night, I worried that I should have booked a ‘Quetzal Quest’ for the next morning and, if we did not see Quetzals, booked again the morning after.

I was up at 5 am the next morning and decided to see what I could find around the lodge’s site. On my way down to the river, I came across a half-eaten Rainbow Trout. There were several ponds of Rainbow Trout, which the lodge cultivated with water from the mountain stream. The trout were served in the lodge’s restaurant, along with a sustainable, locally produced menu. The trout were very tasty; we had them raw (ceviche) and grilled! But something else thought the trout were tasty too.

Although the ponds were protected by a small electric fence, something had moved a grate and got into a pond with the biggest fish. As I checked my phone down by the stream (the only place near the lodge reception with Wi-Fi), a large otter, a Neotropical River Otter, exited the stream and casually walked by me! Otter's eyesight out of water is not great, and so with me standing still in the early light, it probably didn’t see me, and, as it was a bit windy, it probably could not smell me either. The otter walked up to the path, towards where the half-eaten fish was, but then it stopped as some people were walking up the path. It then came tearing past me, and I managed to get a couple of poorly lit, blurry photos!

After the excitement of the otter, I heard a Quetzal calling on the other side of the river! I had listened to the calls on my Birds of Costa Rica app, so I recognised the call instantly. As I moved to see if I could get a view (the call came from up high in the cloudforest canopy), I met a guide with a couple of punters looking up at a male Resplendent Quetzal. The view we had was a bit limited, so I moved to see if I could find a better spot. Then the Quetzal flew across the river towards us and landed in a tree in the gardens of the lodge, 30m from our room! I took a few quick photos, then popped to our room to get Siân. We both watched it until breakfast beckoned. There were only us, a member of the lodge staff and the guide with another couple. I was very happy to see this talismanic species of the cloudforest, and even happier that I hadn’t spent $80 (or even 2x $80) for us to find one. That money would be spent on celebratory cocktails in the bar later that day!

We joined our guide after breakfast, who led us around the local area, where we saw many more species and a few more regional endemics. I did better on the photography this time, so I’ll let the images do the talking…

Acorn Woodpecker

Blue-gray Tanager

Baltimore Oriole

White-naped Brushfinch

Flame-colored Tanager

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Yellowish Flycatcher

White-throated Mountain-gem

Green-crowned Brilliant

Scintillant Hummingbird (female) (Costa Rica's smalletst hummingbird)

Scintillant Hummingbird (male)

Green-crowned Brilliant

White-throated Mountain-gem

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Green Honeycreeper (female)

Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher

Tennessee Warbler

White-throated Mountain-gem

Sian and I did a few local walks in the cloudforest and had some lovely encounters with Black Guan, Collared Trogon, Ruddy Trerunner, Flame-throated Warbler, Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner, Louisiana Waterthrush, Torrent Tyrannulet, Tufted Flycatcher, and Collared Redstart, to name a few.

 

Ruddy Treerunner

Collared Redstart

Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner

America Dipper

Collared Trogon (female)

Black Guan

Tufted Flycatcher

Torrent Tyrannulet

Rufous-collared Sparrow

In the mountains, it was warm in the sun during the day, but much cooler at night (the hotel staff even delivered hot water bottles to our room in the evening!), so we were looking forward to driving down to the Pacific coast, where it would be a lot warmer.

 

Uvita

We arrived in Uvita, a small coastal town in the Puntarenas Province, the next afternoon. Uvita is known for its laid-back atmosphere, gorgeous beaches, and proximity to lush jungles. Playa Uvita is well-known for its Whale Tail sandbar, a natural formation seen at low tide that resembles a whale's tail. Marino Ballena National Park is the area's main attraction, with pristine beaches, coral reefs, and opportunities to see humpback whales during their migration.

We had a short stop in Uvita to stretch our legs. On getting out of the car, I saw two Scarlet Macaw flying along the coastal road, and two Crested Caracara were flying over the trees that were at the back of the beach. It was a great welcome to the area. We then made our way to Cristal Ballena, our hotel for the next couple of days.

The hotel was in an excellent location. It was on the edge of the Pacific slope rainforest, raised up so you had views from the forest-covered mountains down to the beach that was part of Marino Ballena National Park. It was great to be by the pool and get good views of many forest species, as well as being on a flyway for birds making their way along the coast. The hotel also has a trail. Here are a few photos of the species we saw around the hotel and its grounds.

Streaked Flycatcher

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Cherrie's Tanger (female)

Common Black Hawk

Out of focus King Vulture!

Out of focus Gray-headed Kite

Large Orb Web Spider sp.

Pale-vented Pigeon

Variable Seedeater (Pacific race)

Social Flycatcher

Part of a formation of Wood Stork

Cherrie's Tanager (male)

Tropical Kingbird

Yellow-throated Toucan

Yellow-throated Toucan

Turkey Vulture

Red-crowned Woodpecker

Red-crowned Woodpecker

Golden-naped Woodpecker

On the hotel’s forest trail, I added Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Sawinson’s Thrush, and Velvety Manakin to my bird list and Spectacled Camen to the animals seen.

 

Mantled Howeler Monkey seen on the hotel's forest trail

Bare-throated Tiger Heron on a river in Uvita

Spectacled Caimen on the hotel's forest trail pond

One morning we had a whale & dolphin watch trip booked. I was hoping we’d see some seabirds too. However, the two Humpbacked Whale we saw (a mother and a playful calf) were not far from the beach and we didn’t get out into deeper waters. So, although we had big flocks of Brown Pelican and Neotropical Cormorant and many Magnificent Frigatebird, only Brown Booby was new for the trip. We also spent time with a pod of 25+ Bottlenose Dolphin, which were just off the beach by our hotel and spent a lot of time bow riding the boat.

 

Mother Hump-backed Whale

Mother and calf

Bottlenose Dolphin

 

 

Manuel Antonio

The last stop of the trip was four days at the Parador Resort and Spa in Manuel Antonio, a couple of hours' drive north of Uvita. Manuel Antonio is a very popular tourist destination, combining beautiful beaches with pristine rainforest. The national park at Manuel Antonio is one of the most popular parks in the country. Again, our hotel was very close to the national park and had a rainforest trail in its grounds.

In the grounds of the hotel, and close to the pool area, there were a couple of Hoffman’s two-toed Sloth, Squirrel Monkey, Panamanian White-faced Capuchin Monkey, Black Iguana and Common Basilisk. Twenty-plus Red-lored Parrots roosted in the tree outside our room, along with a pair of Scarlet Macaws. A pair of Yellow-headed Caracaras, which were often on patrol in the pool area, perched on the roof of the swim-up bar. It was a great place to stay. Watching Pacific sunsets from the swim-up bar with flocks of Brown Pelican and Magnificent Frigatebird circling while parrots and Macaws came to roost. Magical.

 

Yelow-headed Caracara on the swim up bar roof!

Yellow-headed Caracara

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper on the hotel trail

Yellow-throated Toucan

Scarlet Macaw

One of a  troop of Squirrel Monkey crossing a 'monkey bridge' at the hotel

Red-lored Parrot, about 20 roosted near our hotel room

Pedro, the Black Spiny-tailed Iguana that lived in the hotel car park

Lineated Woodpecker drumming near out hotel room balcony

This two toed sloth was relaxing by the hotel pool!

Broad-winged Hawk on the hotel forest trail

Common Basilisk on the hotel path

We went on a tour with a guide called Nicky in Manuel Antonio National Park. Although we saw lizards, snakes, spiders, bats and butterflies as well as more sloth and Capuchin, the park was very busy with people and not great to see birds. However, I did, at one point, spot two Great Tinamou creeping through a quiet part of the forest trail.

The crowds on Manuel Antonio National Park's main trail

 

Whip-tailed Lizard

Helmeted Iguana

Fer-de-lance, the deadliest snake in the Americas!

Brown Vinesnake

Black Spiny-tailed Iguana

Black Spiny-tailed Iguana

Black Spiny-tailed Iguana

Bat sp. roosting near the main trail

Finally, on the drive to the airport in San Jose, we stopped off at the bridge over the Tarcoles River to see American Crocodile.

 

Needless to say, we had an amazing trip. Costa Rica is beautiful, lush, verdant and teeming with life. The beaches are stunning, and the mountains are cloaked with forest. The Ticos and Ticas we met were exceptionally friendly and helpful; as all seem to embody the Costa Rican ‘Pura Vida’ way of life, the positive, laid-back lifestyle focused on gratitude, relaxation, and happiness. We will return to Costa Rica, as there are so many more species of birds I’d like to see there...

 

Lists

Vertebrate animals seen

Common Opossum

Brown-throated Sloth

Hoffman’s two-toed sloth

Mantled Howler Monkey

Central American Squirrel Monkey

Panamian White-faced Capuchin Monkey

White-nosed Coati

Northern Racoon

Humpbacked Whale

Bottlenose Dolphin

Red-tailed Squirrel

Variegated Squirrel

Central American Agouti

Various bat sp.

Eyelash Viper

Fer-de-lance Snake

Brown Vinesnake

Green Iguana

Black Spiny-tailed Iguana

Common Basilisk

Helmeted Iguana

Indo-Pacific Gecko

Whip-tailed Lizard

Anole sp.

American Crocodile

Spectacled Caiman

Green Sea Turtle

 

Birds seen/heard

Below are the 207 bird species I saw or heard on the trip (heard only suffixed by ‘H’, 11 species). At the very end of the birds are the 10-12 Regional Endemics seen or heard.

🐣 Tinamous (Order Tinamiformes)

Tinamidae

• Great Tinamou

🦆 Waterfowl (Order Anseriformes)

Anatidae

• Muscovy Duck

🐔 Galliform Birds (Order Galliformes)

Cracidae

• Black Guan
• Crested Guan
• Gray-headed Chachalaca

🕊️ Pigeons & Doves (Order Columbiformes)

Columbidae

• Common Ground-Dove
• Pale-vented Pigeon
• Red-billed Pigeon
• Rock Pigeon
• Ruddy Ground-Dove
• Short-billed Pigeon
• White-tipped Dove

🦩 Shorebirds (Order Charadriiformes)

Charadriidae

• Southern Lapwing

Scolopacidae

• Whimbrel

Laridae

• American Herring Gull
• Royal Tern

🐦 Pelicans & Herons (Order Pelecaniformes)

Pelecanidae

• American White Pelican
• Brown Pelican

Ardeidae

• Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
• Great Egret
• Green Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Snowy Egret
• Tricolored Heron
• Western Cattle-Egret
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Threskiornithidae

• Wood Stork

🐟 Cormorants & Frigatebirds (Order Suliformes)

Anhingidae

• Anhinga

Phalacrocoracidae

• Neotropic Cormorant

Fregatidae

• Magnificent Frigatebird

🦅 Raptors (Order Accipitriformes)

Cathartidae

• Black Vulture
• King Vulture
• Turkey Vulture

Pandionidae

• Osprey

Accipitridae

• Bicolored Hawk
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Common Black-Hawk
• Gray-headed Kite
• Great Black-Hawk
• Roadside Hawk
• White-tailed Kite

🦅 Falcons & Caracaras (Order Falconiformes)

Falconidae

• Crested Caracara
• Laughing Falcon
• Yellow-headed Caracara

🚂 Rails (Order Gruiformes)

Rallidae

• Gray-cowled Wood-Rail

🌞 Sunbittern (Order Eurypygiformes)

Eurypygidae

• Sunbittern

🦉 Owls (Order Strigiformes)

Strigidae

• Mottled Owl - H

⚡ Swifts & Hummingbirds (Order Apodiformes)

Swifts (Apodidae)

• Costa Rican Swift
• Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
• White-collared Swift

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

• Band-tailed Barbthroat
• Blue-throated Goldentail
• Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
• Crowned Woodnymph
• Garden Emerald
• Green Thorntail
• Green-breasted Mango
• Green-crowned Brilliant
• Lesser Violetear
• Long-billed Hermit
• Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
• Scintillant Hummingbird
• Snowcap
• Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
• Stripe-throated Hermit
• Talamanca Hummingbird
• Violet Sabrewing
• Violet-headed Hummingbird
• Volcano Hummingbird
• White-necked Jacobin
• White-throated Mountain-gem

🌈 Trogons & Quetzal (Order Trogoniformes)

Trogonidae

• Collared Trogon
• Gartered Trogon
• Resplendent Quetzal

🐟 Kingfishers (Order Coraciiformes)

Alcedinidae

• Ringed Kingfisher

🌿 Motmots (Order Momotiformes)

Momotidae

• Lesson's Motmot

🪵 Woodpeckers, Toucans & Puffbirds (Order Piciformes)

Toucans & Aracaris (Ramphastidae)

• Collared Aracari
• Keel-billed Toucan
• Yellow-throated Toucan

Puffbirds (Bucconidae)

• White-necked Puffbird

Woodpeckers (Picidae)

• Acorn Woodpecker
• Black-cheeked Woodpecker
• Golden-naped Woodpecker
• Golden-olive Woodpecker
• Red-crowned Woodpecker
• Lineated Woodpecker
• Rufous-winged Woodpecker

🦜 Parrots (Order Psittaciformes)

Psittacidae

• Brown-hooded Parrot
• Crimson-fronted Parakeet
• Great Green Macaw
• Orange-chinned Parakeet
• Red-lored Parrot
• Scarlet Macaw
• Sulphur-winged Parakeet
• White-crowned Parrot

🎶 Passerines (Order Passeriformes)

🐜 Suboscines

Antshrikes & Antwrens (Thamnophilidae)

• Black-hooded Antshrike - H
• Checker-throated Antwren - H
• Russet Antshrike - H

Antpittas (Grallariidae)

• Thicket Antpitta - H

Ovenbirds & Woodcreepers (Furnariidae)

• Buffy Tuftedcheek
• Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner
• Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner
• Ruddy Treerunner
• Ruddy Woodcreeper
• Spot-crowned Woodcreeper
• Streak-headed Woodcreeper
• Striped Woodhaunter

Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

• Black Phoebe
• Black-capped Flycatcher
• Boat-billed Flycatcher
• Dusky-capped Flycatcher
• Gray-capped Flycatcher
• Great Kiskadee
• Least Flycatcher
• Mistletoe Tyrannulet
• Northern Scrub-Flycatcher
• Ochre-bellied Flycatcher
• Slaty-capped Flycatcher
• Social Flycatcher
• Streaked Flycatcher
• Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher
• Tawny-chested Flycatcher
• Torrent Tyrannulet
• Tropical Kingbird
• Tufted Flycatcher
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
• Yellowish Flycatcher
• Yellow-olive Flycatcher

Becards & Tityras (Tityridae)

• Barred Becard
• Black-crowned Tityra
• Cinnamon Becard
• Masked Tityra

Manakins (Pipridae)

• Velvety Manakin
• White-collared Manakin
• White-ruffed Manakin

Silky-flycatchers (Ptiliogonatidae)

• Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher

🎼 Oscines

Swallows (Hirundinidae)

• Blue-and-white Swallow
• Mangrove Swallow
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Wrens (Troglodytidae)

• Bay Wren - H
• Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
• Ochraceous Wren - H
• Riverside Wren
• Scaly-breasted Wren - H
• Southern House Wren
• Stripe-breasted Wren - H
• White-breasted Wood-Wren - H

Thrushes & Solitaires (Turdidae)

• American Dipper
• Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
• Black-faced Solitaire
• Clay-colored Thrush
• Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush
• Swainson's Thrush

Mockingbirds (Mimidae)

• Tropical Mockingbird

Vireos (Vireonidae)

• Philadelphia Vireo
• Yellow-throated Vireo
• Yellow-winged Vireo

Warblers (Parulidae)

• Black-and-white Warbler
• Blackburnian Warbler
• Black-throated Green Warbler
• Chestnut-sided Warbler
• Flame-throated Warbler
• Golden-crowned Warbler - H
• Golden-winged Warbler
• Louisiana Waterthrush
• Tennessee Warbler
• Wilson's Warbler
• Yellow Warbler

Tanagers & Allies (Thraupidae)

• Bananaquit
• Bay-headed Tanager
• Blue-gray Tanager
• Cherrie's Tanager
• Common Chlorospingus
• Emerald Tanager
• Flame-colored Tanager
• Golden-browed Chlorophonia
• Golden-hooded Tanager
• Green Honeycreeper
• Olive-backed Euphonia
• Palm Tanager
• Passerini's Tanager
• Plain-colored Tanager
• Scarlet-thighed Dacnis
• Silver-throated Tanager
• Slaty Flowerpiercer
• Sooty-capped Chlorospingus
• White-naped Brushfinch
• White-shouldered Tanager
• White-vented Euphonia
• Yellow-crowned Euphonia
• Yellow-faced Grassquit
• Yellow-throated Euphonia

Sparrows & Seedeaters (Passerellidae)

• Black-striped Sparrow
• Orange-billed Sparrow
• Rufous-collared Sparrow
• Variable Seedeater

Blackbirds & Oropendolas (Icteridae)

• Baltimore Oriole
• Brown Jay
• Buff-throated Saltator
• Chestnut-headed Oropendola
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Melodious Blackbird
• Montezuma Oropendola
• Summer Tanager

 

🐦 Costa Rica / Panama (Regional) Endemics from the trip list

Wrens (Troglodytidae)

• Bay Wren (Cantorchilus nigricapillus) – mostly Pacific lowlands; sometimes considered restricted to the region
• White-breasted Wood-Wren (Henicorhina leucosticta) – mainly lowland populations, some Talamanca subspecies

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

• Snowcap (Microchera albocoronata) – mostly Caribbean slopes
• Talamanca Hummingbird (Eugenes spectabilis) – highland restricted

Tanagers / Finches (Thraupidae / Fringillidae)

• Black-capped Flycatcher (Empidonax atriceps) – Talamanca highlands
• White-naped Brushfinch (Atlapetes albinucha) – highland endemic (some subspecies restricted to Costa Rica/Panama)

Other Notables

• Flame-throated Warbler (Oreothlypis gutturalis) – Talamanca Mountains highlands
• Volcano Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis) – Talamanca highlands