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List of birds of Costa Rica facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Clay colored Thrush
The clay-colored thrush is the national bird of Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a small country, but it's a huge home for birds! It's located in a special part of the world called the Neotropics, which is full of amazing wildlife. As of July 2023, there were 948 different kinds of birds officially recorded here. That's a lot for such a small place!

Some of these birds are truly unique: seven species are found only in Costa Rica. Three of these live only on Cocos Island, a remote island belonging to Costa Rica. Another 73 species are "near-endemic," meaning they live only in Costa Rica and Panama. Sadly, 27 species, including five of the unique ones, are in danger of disappearing forever. With so many birds in a small area, Costa Rica has the highest number of bird species per square kilometer of any country in the Americas. About 600 species live there all the time, while others visit during winter from North America.

Costa Rica's amazing bird diversity is partly thanks to its geology. Millions of years ago, North and South America were separate continents. Over time, volcanoes and earthquakes slowly built up a land bridge, connecting the two continents. This bridge, which became Central America, allowed birds and other animals from both north and south to mix and spread out. For example, hummingbirds crossed into North America a long time ago, while some jays came from the north and later even moved back south!

The country also has many different types of habitats, which are like different neighborhoods for birds. These include swampy mangrove forests along the Pacific coast, wet plains on the Caribbean side, dry lowlands in the north, and tall mountain ranges. The mountains, especially the Talamanca range, act like big walls. This has caused birds on one side of the mountains to become different from their relatives on the other side. A good example is the white-collared manakin on the Caribbean side, which is now a separate species from the orange-collared manakin on the Pacific side. In the past, when sea levels were higher, the mountains were like isolated islands, leading to even more unique species. Over 30 mountain birds are found only in these highlands!

This list of birds follows the official Check-list of North and Middle American Birds from the American Ornithological Society. The names of bird families come from the Clements taxonomy.

Here are some special tags used in the list to tell you more about where the birds are found:

  • (A) Accidental - This bird rarely or accidentally shows up in Costa Rica.
  • (R?) Residence uncertain - We're not sure if this bird lives in Costa Rica all the time.
  • (E) Endemic - This bird is found only in Costa Rica.
  • (E-R) Regional endemic - This bird is found only in Costa Rica and Panama.
  • (I) Introduced - Humans brought this bird to Costa Rica.

Tinamous

Tinamus major
Great tinamou

Order: Tinamiformes Family: Tinamidae

Tinamous are one of the oldest groups of birds. They look a bit like quail or grouse, but they are unique and have their own special family. They are also distantly related to large, flightless birds like rheas and emus.

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Red.billed.whistling.duck.600pix
Black-bellied whistling-duck

Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are great at living in water. They have webbed feet, flat bills, and oily feathers that shed water easily.

Guans, Chachalacas, and Curassows

Ghchachalaca190
Gray-headed chachalaca

Order: Galliformes Family: Cracidae

Cracidae are large birds, similar to turkeys. Guans and curassows live in trees, while the smaller chachalacas prefer open, bushy areas. They usually have plain feathers, but some have colorful faces.

New World Quail

Buffycrownedwoodpartridge
Buffy-crowned wood-partridge

Order: Galliformes Family: Odontophoridae

These are small, plump birds that live on the ground. They are named "New World quail" because they look and act like quails from other parts of the world, but they are not closely related.

Grebes

Order: Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-sized diving birds that live in freshwater. They have special lobed toes that make them excellent swimmers and divers. However, their feet are placed far back on their bodies, making them clumsy on land.

Pigeons and Doves

Patagioenas cayennensis
Pale-vented pigeon

Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies, short necks, and thin bills. Many species are found in Costa Rica.

Cuckoos

Crotophaga sulcirostris
Groove-billed ani

Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae

This family includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Some cuckoos are known for laying their eggs in other birds' nests.

Nightjars and Allies

Order: Caprimulgiformes Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night. They usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Their soft feathers help them blend in with tree bark or leaves.

Potoos

Nyctibius griseus 471885191 27f931630d o
Common potoo

Order: Nyctibiiformes Family: Nyctibiidae

Potoos are large, nocturnal birds that eat insects. They are related to nightjars but don't have the bristles around their mouths. They are known for their excellent camouflage, often looking like tree stumps.

Swifts

Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs and can only perch on vertical surfaces, like walls or tree trunks. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings that look like a crescent moon.

Hummingbirds

Order: Apodiformes Family: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are tiny birds famous for hovering in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backward! They feed on nectar from flowers.

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae

This is a large family of small to medium-sized birds that live in dense plants near water, like lakes or swamps. They are usually shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes, perfect for walking on soft ground. They tend to be weak fliers.

Stilts and Avocets

Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked stilt

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Recurvirostridae

This family includes avocets and stilts. Avocets have long legs and bills that curve upwards. Stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. They are wading birds, often seen in shallow water.

Plovers and Lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae

Plovers and lapwings are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short necks, and long, pointed wings. They live in open areas, often near water.

Jacanas

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Jacanidae

Jacanas are wading birds found in tropical regions. You can easily spot them by their huge feet and claws, which allow them to walk on floating plants in shallow lakes.

Sandpipers and Allies

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large and diverse family of shorebirds, including sandpipers, curlews, and snipes. Most of these birds eat small bugs they find in mud or soil. Their different leg and bill lengths allow many species to feed in the same area without competing for food.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. They are usually gray or white, often with black markings. They have longish bills and webbed feet. Terns dive for fish, while skimmers fly low over the water, using their long lower bill to scoop up small fish.

Storks

Woodstork17
Wood stork

Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large wading birds with long legs, long necks, and strong, long bills. They are usually silent, but they make clattering sounds with their bills at the nest. Their nests can be very large and used for many years.

Frigatebirds

Femalefbird
Magnificent frigatebird

Order: Suliformes Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds found over tropical oceans. They are mostly black or black and white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. Male frigatebirds have colorful throat pouches that they can inflate. They are amazing fliers and can stay in the air for more than a week!

Boobies and Gannets

Order: Suliformes Family: Sulidae

This family includes gannets and boobies. Both are medium to large seabirds that live near coasts and dive headfirst into the water to catch fish.

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a unique pouch under their beak, which they use to scoop up fish. They have webbed feet with four toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Cochlearius cochleariaPCCA20071227-8443B
Boat-billed heron

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Ardeidae

This family includes bitterns, herons, and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns are usually shorter-necked and more cautious. Unlike other long-necked birds, they fly with their necks pulled back.

Ibises and Spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Threskiornithidae

This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They are large birds that live on land or wade in water. They have long, wide wings and are strong fliers, even soaring high in the sky.

New World Vultures

Coragyps-atratus-001
Black vulture

Order: Cathartiformes Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures are not closely related to vultures from other parts of the world, but they look similar because they evolved to do the same job: eating dead animals. Unlike Old World vultures, which find food by sight, New World vultures have a great sense of smell to find carcasses.

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes Family: Pandionidae

The osprey is the only species in its family. It's a medium-large bird of prey that specializes in eating fish. You can find ospreys all over the world.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Swallowtailedkite
Swallow-tailed kite

Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae

This family includes hawks, eagles, and kites. These birds of prey have strong, hooked beaks for tearing meat, powerful legs with sharp talons, and excellent eyesight.

Barn-owls

Order: Strigiformes Family: Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with big heads and unique heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons.

Owls

Black-and-white Owl
Black-and-white owl

Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are mostly solitary birds of prey that are active at night. They have large eyes that face forward, good hearing, a hooked beak, and a circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Trogons

Black-throated Trogon
Black-throated trogon

Order: Trogoniformes Family: Trogonidae

This family includes trogons and quetzals. They live in tropical forests worldwide and eat insects and fruit. They have wide bills and weak legs. Trogons have soft, often colorful feathers, and males and females look different.

Motmots

Rufous motmot (92334)
Rufous motmot in La Fortuna

Order: Coraciiformes Family: Momotidae

Motmots have colorful feathers and long, fancy tails that they wag back and forth. For most species, the feathers near the end of their two longest tail feathers fall off, leaving a bare shaft that looks like a tennis racket!

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs, and short tails. They are known for diving into water to catch fish.

Puffbirds

Order: Piciformes Family: Bucconidae

Puffbirds are related to jacamars but don't have their shiny colors. They are mostly brown, reddish-brown, or gray, with large heads and flat bills with hooked tips. Their loose, fluffy feathers and short tails make them look stout and "puffy."

Jacamars

Order: Piciformes Family: Galbulidae

Jacamars are elegant, shiny birds with long bills and tails. They catch insects in flight. They look and act like bee-eaters from other parts of the world, but they are more closely related to puffbirds.

Toucans

20170504-IMG 7511-bewerktBPX-3
Northern emerald-toucanet

Order: Piciformes Family: Ramphastidae

Toucans are famous for their huge, colorful bills, which can be half as long as their bodies! They are brightly marked birds found in tropical areas.

Woodpeckers

Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Black-cheeked woodpecker

Order: Piciformes Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues for catching insects. Many species tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and Caracaras

Crested Caracara
Crested caracara

Order: Falconiformes Family: Falconidae

This family includes falcons and caracaras, which are birds of prey active during the day. Unlike hawks and eagles, they kill their prey with their beaks instead of their talons.

New World and African Parrots

Belize54
Scarlet macaw

Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittacidae

Parrots are small to large birds with a special curved beak. Their upper beak can move slightly, and they usually stand upright. All parrots have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward on each foot.

Manakins

Orange-collared Manakin
Orange-collared manakin

Order: Passeriformes Family: Pipridae

Manakins are small, compact forest birds. The males are usually brightly colored, while the females are often duller and green. Manakins eat small fruits, berries, and insects.

Cotingas

Order: Passeriformes Family: Cotingidae

Cotingas are forest birds found in tropical South America. Not much is known about all the different kinds, but they all have wide bills with hooked tips, rounded wings, and strong legs. The males of many species are brightly colored or have fancy plumes.

Tityras and Allies

Pachyramphus cinnamomeus
Cinnamon becard

Order: Passeriformes Family: Tityridae

Tityridae are passerine birds found in forests and woodlands. They are small to medium-sized birds. They don't have the complex songs of other songbirds, and most have plain colors.

Tyrant Flycatchers

Todirostrum cinereum
Common tody-flycatcher

Order: Passeriformes Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are passerine birds found throughout North and South America. They look a bit like flycatchers from other parts of the world but are stronger and have tougher bills. Most eat insects.

Typical Antbirds

Gymnopithys-leucaspis-001 edit2
Bicolored antbird

Order: Passeriformes Family: Thamnophilidae

Antbirds are a large family of small passerine birds found in Central and South America. They are forest birds that usually eat insects on or near the ground. Many follow columns of army ants to catch insects fleeing from the ants. They often have plain colors like brown, black, and white.

Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper
Spot-crowned woodcreeper

Order: Passeriformes Family: Furnariidae

This large family includes small insect-eating birds found in Central and South America. They are named "ovenbirds" because some species build fancy, oven-like nests out of clay. Woodcreepers are brownish birds that climb tree trunks, supported by their stiff tails, looking for insects.

Vireos, Shrike-babblers, and Erpornis

Cyclarhis gujanensis
Rufous-browed peppershrike

Order: Passeriformes Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized passerine birds, usually greenish. They look like wood warblers but have heavier bills.

  • Rufous-browed peppershrike, Cyclarhis gujanensis
  • Yellow-winged vireo, Vireo carmioli (E-R)
  • Red-eyed vireo, Vireo olivaceus

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Calocitta formosa (Montezuma)
White-throated magpie-jay

Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. Corvids are larger than average passerine birds, and some of the bigger species are very intelligent.

Swallows

Mangrove Swallow
Mangrove swallow

Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae

Swallows are birds adapted for catching insects in the air. They have slender bodies, long, pointed wings, and a short bill with a wide mouth. Their feet are better for perching than walking.

Wrens

Bay Wren
Bay wren

Order: Passeriformes Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are mostly small and hard to see, but they have very loud songs! These birds have short wings and thin, downward-curved bills. Many species hold their tails straight up. They all eat insects.

Thrushes and Allies

Sooty Robin
Sooty robin

Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are plump, soft-feathered passerine birds. They are small to medium-sized and eat insects, or sometimes a mix of things. They often feed on the ground, and many have beautiful songs.

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris)
Thick-billed euphonia

Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds. They are small to medium-sized and have strong, cone-shaped beaks. They fly with a bouncy motion, flapping and then gliding with closed wings. Most sing well.

New World Sparrows

TICO-TICO (Zonotrichia capensis ) (2195772708)
Rufous-collared sparrow

Order: Passeriformes Family: Passerellidae

These birds are often called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the "Old World sparrows." Many of them have unique patterns on their heads.

Troupials and Allies

Montezuma Oropendola
Montezuma oropendola

Order: Passeriformes Family: Icteridae

Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful, passerine birds found only in the Americas. This family includes grackles and orioles. Most species are mainly black, often with bright yellow, orange, or red markings.

New World Warblers

Parula pitiayumi
Tropical parula

Order: Passeriformes Family: Parulidae

New World warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds found only in the Americas. Most live in trees, but some live on the ground. Most members of this family eat insects.

Cardinals and Allies

Order: Passeriformes Family: Cardinalidae

Cardinals are a family of strong, seed-eating birds with powerful bills. They usually live in open woodlands. Males and females often have different feather colors.

Tanagers and Allies

Thraupis-episcopus-001
Blue-gray tanager

Order: Passeriformes Family: Thraupidae

Tanagers are a large group of small to medium-sized passerine birds found only in the Americas, mostly in tropical areas. Many species are brightly colored. They eat a variety of foods, including fruits, seeds, and insects. Most have short, rounded wings.

Images for kids

  • 142aL44mountaingem

    Female gray-tailed mountain-gem

  • Male Elvira cupreiceps at feeder - closeup

    Male coppery-headed emerald, one of Costa Rica's endemics

  • Heliodoxa jacula (female) taxobox

    Female green-crowned brilliant

  • Selasphorus flammula

    Male volcano hummingbird

  • Limnodromus scolopaceus Mike Baird crop

    Long-billed dowitcher

  • Western Sandpiper

    Western sandpiper

  • Actitis-macularia-005

    Spotted sandpiper

  • Stavenn Eurypiga helias 00

    Sunbittern

  • Patagioenas fasciata2

    Band-tailed pigeon

  • Buteo nitidus; buse cendrée

    Gray-lined hawk

  • Rufous motmot (92334)

    Rufous motmot in La Fortuna

  • Blue-crowned Motmot 1

    Lesson's motmot

  • Xenops rutilans

    Streaked xenops

  • Todirostrum cinereum

    Common tody-flycatcher

  • Myiarchus-tuberculifer-001

    Dusky-capped flycatcher

  • Dendroica-castanea-001

    Bay-breasted warbler

  • Wilsonia citrina (Belize)

    Hooded warbler

  • Ramphocelus sanguinolentus

    Crimson-collared tanager

  • Dacnis cayana

    Blue dacnis

  • Bananaquits

    Bananaquit

  • Chlorophanes spiza - male on feeder

    Green honeycreeper

  • Sporophila-corvina-002

    Variable seedeater

  • Slaty Flowerpiercer

    Slaty flowerpiercer

  • Great-tailed Grackle-27527

    Great-tailed grackle

See also

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List of birds of Costa Rica Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.