A Brown Pelican takes flight over the Golfo Dulce on a sunny day in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.
With their large, distinctive bills, Brown Pelicans (Pelicanus occidentalis) are easy to identify on the Pacific coast, where they are most prolific. They soar a few feet above the waves, scan for fish, and dive head first into the water to scoop up a meal.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Mouthless Crabs (Gecarcinus quadratus) are sometimes called Jack-o-Lantern Crabs for the three orange spots that make a face-like pattern on the front of their shells. These colorful land crabs are found along the Pacific, usually at night, rummaging around in the sand and underbrush of the coastal forests. This one ventured out into the daylight to be photographed on the large root of a tree in the rainforest of Corcovado.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
During birding tours in Costa Rica, I have generally dismissed hummingbird identification as too difficult. They flit about very quickly, and are extremely challenging to photograph. Even when they rest on a branch for a moment, they are tiny, and their jewel-like feathers shimmer as they shift about, making coloration and markings hard to discern with confidence. I think this is probably a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilla tzacatl) based on its solid, ruddy tail and the site where these photographs were taken. Even if I’m mistaken, it’s fun to have at least a couple snapshots of a hummingbird doing what it does best: hovering with its long bill buried in bright-colored flowers, drinking nectar.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) can be distinguished from other white herons in Costa Rica by their slender black bill. They also have black legs with yellow feet, which aren’t visible on this specimen that I found wading in the shadows one morning in Torguguero.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Apparently stuffed, a motionless American Crocodile holds his next bite – a large fish – in his toothy jaws.
Crocodilians, along with birds, are the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs. The American Crocodile can be found in large rivers and streams of Costa Rica, and often in the tidal, brackish water where rivers meet the sea. This crocodile was resting on a flat of mud one evening near the mouth of the Tortuguero River.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
There are two races of the Variable Seedeater (Sporophila americana) in Costa Rica: one on the Caribbean side, and one, like this one with a white belly and rump, on the Pacific side of the country. The brown females of both races are identical. This fellow was chirping on the barbed wire that guards the airstrip in Carate on the Osa Peninsula.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
With feathers glistening in the dappled sunlight of the secondary rainforest, a male Black-throated Trogan proudly sits at attention.
Of the ten Trogan species in Costa Rica, the Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus) is the one I’ve seen most frequently. Dimorphic, the male is easily identified by the brilliant green head, yellow belly, and, of course, its black throat. Trogons are generally sedentary, and like to sit still on branches. As long as they aren’t startled, these handsome birds can be observed for quite awhile. Their mates are typically nearby, but often out of view.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
The Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) is a rodent that looks like a cross between a rabbit with short ears and a giant squirrel with no tail. When frightened, the fur on its hind end stands out straight to make a bushy rump. Apparently this agouti feared neither people nor cars as it simply stood still in the yard of Bosque del Cabo as we slowly drove past and snapped its picture.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
Although the shadows on their faces make it difficult to see their red foreheads and light-colored upper beaks, I am fairly certain these are Red-lored Parrots (Amazona autumnalis). There is a chance, however, that they are Mealy Parrots (Amazona farinosa). Both species have wide, white orbital rings and stout, green bodies that make this parrot pair look like strange, inquisitive aliens climbing up a skinny branch.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
This Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii) is one of the first birds I photographed during my first trip to Costa Rica back in 2002 with my first digital camera. I was thrilled, and I felt so lucky to have gotten a clear snapshot of such an exotic-looking creature! The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan is the larger of two toucan types in Costa Rica, and the only one on the Osa Peninsula.
All media is copyright costaricawildlife.net, 2013.
