Tag Archives: osa peninsula

Pale-billed Woodpecker

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Male Pale-billed Woodpecker

Male Pale-billed Woodpecker

The characteristic double-rap sound made by Pale-billed Woodpeckers (Campephilus guatemalensis) drilling for wood-boring insects is often heard before the birds are seen. While both the males and females of the species have red heads, the females are distinguished by black on their foreheads. Long, stiff tail feathers provide support for Pale-billed Woodpeckers as they hang vertically on tree trunks while hunting bugs. This pair was photographed along the hiking trail between La Tarde and Serena on the Osa Peninsula.

Females of the Pale-billed Woodpecker species have a black forehead, as seen on the bird on the right.

Females of the Pale-billed Woodpecker species have a black forehead, as seen on the bird on the right.

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Golfo Dulce Poison Frog

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Golfo Dulce Poison Frog

The author of my fiercely scientific guidebook about amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica doesn’t believe in common names. “Poison Frogs of the Genus Phyllobates” is about as close to a vernacular description as I can find in the text for this shiny little gem. This particular specimen (Phyllobates vittatus) was found in a tiny mud cave in the Corcovado National Park by expert guide, Nito. The species is endemic to the area near the Osa Peninsula and the Golfo Dulce, and so I’ve assigned it the not-very-scientific appellation “Golfo Dulce Poison Frog.”

Golfo Dulce Poison Frog

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Male Red-capped Manakin

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Red-capped Manakin

Eight manakin species live in Costa Rica, but within somewhat separate and limited territories. Red-capped Manakins (Pipra mentalis) are perhaps the most common, located on much of the Caribbean slope as well as the southern Pacific region, where this one was photographed. A dimorphic species, the males have shiny black bodies, bright red hoods, and yellow thigh feathers, while the females are olive green. These little woodland birds with stout beaks are primarily frugivorous, meaning they mostly eat fruit.

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Brown Pelican

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Brown Pelican

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.

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Mouthless Crab

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Mouthless Crab

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.

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Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

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Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

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.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

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Male Variable Seedeater

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Male Variable Seedeater

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.

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Male Black-throated Trogon

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With feathers glistening in the dappled sunlight of the secondary rainforest, a male Black-throated Trogan proudly sits at attention.

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.