White-throated Shrike-Tanager

White-throated Shrike-Tanager

Browsing through Costa Rica photos this evening, I came across this one of what I think is a White-throated Shrike-Tanager (Lanio leucothorax). Similar in appearance to orioles, there are two varieties of the species in the country: one that lives closer to the Caribbean with a yellow rump and undertail coverts (the feathers beneath the tail), and another, like this one, with black rump and undertail coverts that lives on the south-Pacific coast. This male of the species, belting out his call, was photographed on the Osa Peninsula.

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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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Squirrel Monkey

Squirrel Monkey

Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri oerstedii) are the smallest of the four primates that can be found in Costa Rica. They live exclusively in the southwest Pacific region. Often seen in a troop, the tiny monkeys travel quickly in a single file line, following the same route from branch to branch and tree to tree. This one, about to leap after the monkey before it, paused long enough to get its picture near the road leading into Carate.

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Common Pauraque

Common Pauraque

Common Pauraques (Nyctidromus albicollis) prefer to stay close to the ground, and make their nests on the earth or dead leaves in open, but shady places. This well-camouflaged Pauraque was photographed in March 2010, while it was nesting in some sparse brush just off of the beach near Serena. As their large eyes suggest, Common Pauraques rest by day, and hunt for beetles, moths, and other insects at night.

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Banded Peacock Butterfly

Banded Peacock Butterfly

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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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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Female Anhinga

Female Anhinga

Although Anhingas (Anhinga anhinga) are water birds that swim with their bodies submerged, their feathers are not waterproof. Anhingas perch with their wings outstretched so they dry more quickly after diving to spear small fish with their pointed beaks. This female has a brown neck instead of a black one like the males of the species.

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Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill

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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