Keel-billed Toucans

Keel-billed Toucans

I have not seen nearly as many Keel-billed Toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus) as I have Chestnut-mandibled Toucans (Ramphastos swainsonii), in part because I have traveled most often to the Osa Peninsula, where there are none of the Keel-billed species. So I was delighted when I came across this photo taken in 2004 near Tortuguero. I love this pair’s bright lime beaks touched with orange and red, which compliment the birds’ bright yellow throats so well.

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Semiplumbeous Hawk

Semiplumbeous Hawk

Identified by its slate gray head and wings, white breast, and orange legs and ceres, Semiplumbeous Hawks (Leucopternis semiplumbea) haunt the understory and lower canopy of the rainforest. They prefer to drop from low perches onto their prey, and, like this one, don’t seem to mind people approaching with cameras.

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Crested Caracara

Crested Caracara

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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Male Orange-collared Manakin

Male Orange-collared Manakin

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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Golfo Dulce Poison Frog

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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Mouthless Crab

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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