More photo browsing led me to find these snapshots of a female Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis) poking about on a fallen tree in the Corcovado National Park. I can tell it is female by the black on its forehead, especially visible in the photo above.
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In 2004, I caught this pair of Cherrie’s Tanagers (Ramphocelus costaricensis) on camera one morning near the Corcovado National Park. The female’s coloration is obscured by shadow, but the sunlit male on the right, with his bright red rump and light blue bill, is easy to distinguish. The male Cherrie’s Tanager, native to the south Pacific region of Costa Rica, looks virtually identical to the male Passerini’s Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii), which is found only on the Caribbean side of the country. However, the coloration of the female Cherrie’s Tanager is significantly brighter than her Passerini counterpart. Collectively known as the Scarlet-rumped Tanager, the two species were formerly considered conspecific, but have since been separated.
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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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It’s been more than a month since I posted any Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao). Here’s a pair that flew overhead while I was walking on the beach near Carate in 2004, and I was lucky enough to get a decent snapshot. I always feel lucky when I hear their exuberant call and see their flashing red color against the blue of the sky or the green of the forest.
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A youthful Green Heron (Butorides striatus) perches on the wood of a dock along the Tortuguero River. It’s just beginning to lose its stripes, and to show the rusty red neck and shoulder feathers that distinguish adults of the species. A few mature green feathers are growing in on its wings too.
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This species of poison-dart frog (Dendrobates granuliferus) is sympatric with the species traditionally called the “Blue Jeans Frog” (Dendrobates pumilio), meaning the two are essentially the same. This particular variation, with granularity of the skin and jade-colored limbs, is found in the southwest lowlands of Costa Rica, where there is a population in the Golfo Dulce region. The specimen here was photographed near La Tarde. Since I’m not sure what the common name for this amphibian might be, I’ve decided “Green Jeans Frog” is as good a moniker as any. “Red Hoodie Frog” might be even better!
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At the lodge in Selva Verde, the staff keep some feeding platforms stocked with fresh fruit to lure the birds where they can easily be seen by visitors. One morning, ripe bananas were on the menu, and these Collared Aracaris (Pteroglossus torquatus) had a feast. They use their long, sharp beaks to break open the peels, tear off a piece of banana, toss it in the air, and gulp it down. I could watch them for hours.
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The Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima) is one of the most common butterflies in Costa Rica, and likes fluttering in sunny open areas like pastures and riverbanks. The males of the species are territorial, so if a Banded Peacock seems to be chasing you, it probably is. But not because it likes you!
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Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) soar over both the Caribbean and Pacific shores of Costa Rica. This male of the species, identified by the red pouch at the bird’s throat, was photographed from a boat at Tortuguero.
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Emerald Toucanets (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) are smaller than their Toucan cousins, and have their own bright feather and bill patterns. This one was photographed in the upper valley of Costa Rica’s Savegre River, and it’s the only snapshot I’ve managed to capture of the species. I particularly like the color of this bird’s dark blue throat.
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