Crested Caracaras (Polybus plancus) are members of the falcon family, and can be identified by the white head with a stout black crest, a white and orange bill, barred shoulders, and brown body. They frequent open areas, including pastures and beaches, where they hunt for small animals. This one was photographed from a distance near Carate on the Osa Peninsula.
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There are many species of Army Ants that thrive in Costa Rica, and I’m not sure which species it is that Nito picked out of a swarm on the rainforest floor. While guiding a hike from Serena to Carate, Nito wanted to show us the ants’ fierce pinchers. Getting bitten is not a risk I would have taken! Yet somehow Nita caught the insect, held it for a photo, and safely released it, without getting nipped.
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Roseate Spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) are members of the Threskiornithidae family, along with Ibises. Usually, I have encountered these large, pink wading birds along sea shores, so it was a surprise to see one peering with its flat bill from the low branches of a tree. Roseate Spoonbills can be found in Costa Rica on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. This one was photographed at the Golfo Dulce.
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Golden-naped Woodpeckers (Melanerpes chrysauchen) can only be found in the south-Pacific region of Costa Rica. This female of the species, which lacks the red cap that the males sport, was photographed on the Osa Peninsula.
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Sally Lightfoot Crabs (Graspus graspus) can be found on rocks at or above the spray line on both the Caribbean and Pacific shores of Costa Rica. This photograph was taken along the gorgeous stretch of rocky beach at the Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula.
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The Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens) looks a bit like a large chicken or perhaps a turkey, and so it is surprising to see one hopping and flying in trees overhead. Crested Guans are fairly common in Costa Rica’s protected regions, and are distinguished by the red flap of skin on the throat and white flecks on the breast. This Crested Guan was photographed in Serena.
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Scarlet Macaws, like this pair, mate for life. I’m amazed by how loving and affectionate these gentle, giants of the rainforest can be. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Male Orange-collared Manakins (Manacus aurantiacus) are easy to identify by their yellow bodies, black caps, and orange throats. Females and juveniles, however, are olive green, and difficult to distinguish from females and juveniles of other manakin species. The little woodland birds are fairly common and endemic to the southern-Pacific region of Costa Rica and western Panama.
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The Parrot Snake (Leptophis ahaetulla) in the above photo is furious because it just lost an epic battle with its lunch. Wrestling in the mud of the rainforest floor near Serena, the unidentified frog (possibly a member of the genus Phrynohyas) kept scrambling, and the writhing reptile just couldn’t get a solid grip. After several minutes, the amphibian finally slipped free and made a break for it!
A Parrot Snake winds and twists in its attempt to grab ahold of a slippery frog.
The frog’s body appears to swell and secrete a mucus that aids in its escape.
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Neither shouts nor whistles would wake this sleepy Silky Anteater.
On the last day of my most recent visit to the Osa Peninsula, I noticed and photographed this fuzzy little ball in a tree not far from Luna Lodge. Without a guide, I wasn’t sure what I was seeing. I knew it wasn’t a sloth as it didn’t have thick matted fur, and lacking a black “vest,” it couldn’t be a Northern Tamandua. Later that day, when I saw expert guide Nito in Puerto Jimenez, I tried to describe the creature, mentioning a black stripe on its back. Nito was confused until I showed him this snapshot, and then his eyes grew wide. “That’s a Silky Anteater,” he exclaimed. Silky Anteaters (Cyclopes didactylus) are the rarest of the three anteater species in Costa Rica, and Nito told me he had only seen it one or two times himself. He was not surprised that my shouts and whistles failed to wake the animal so it would show its face. Strictly nocturnal, Silky Anteaters roll into a ball to sleep away the day. The genus Cyclopes – derived from the Greek words kyklos, meaning “circle”, and opsis, “appearance” – alludes to this distinguishing behavior.
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