Green-crowned Brilliant

The Green-crowned Brilliant is a fairly large hummingbird, sleek and long-tailed with straight bill. The male is entirely emerald green with small blue throat patch only visible at some angles as seen here.

The female has spotted green breast with a conspicuous white mustache stripe and white spot behind eye as seen here.

The juvenile has pale rufous malars and chin as seen below.

They are found in forested habitats and edges.

Slaty-backed Nightingale Thrush

 

The Slaty-backed Nightingale Thrush is a small skulking thrush, far more often heard than seen. It was raining pretty good when we observed this thrush in the understory. They are all sooty gray, darkest on forehead, with whiter belly.

Love the bright red-orange eyering, bill, and legs. They are found in middle and high elevation forests, always low to the ground, like this observation, and can be seen along trails but usually quite shy.

White-eared Ground-sparrow

 

The White-eared Ground-sparrow is a strikingly patterned large sparrow that favours tropical and subtropical forests, shade-coffee plantations, and brushy edges.

Typically, on or near the ground in shady understory such as shown here.

Green-fronted Lancebill

 

The Green-fronted Lancebill has a super long straight bill. They are dull greenish overall with iridescent green forehead and bronzy nape.

The female is similar to the male but paler brownish below. They are a forest hummingbird most often associated with montane streams. Even from a fair distance it was really cool to observe this small hummer with a super long straight bill.

Green Thorntail

 

The Green Thorntail is a tiny hummingbird with a short straight bill. The male is all shimmering green with distinctive, long, pointed tail feathers while the female has a short tail and a distinctive white mustache.

Both sexes show white band across rump. They are found in forested habitats and gardens.

It took quite awhile but I was pretty happy capturing this image of a Green Thorntail one of my favourite hummers that we observed. 

Green Hermit

 

The Green Hermit is a large hummingbird with long white-tipped central tail feathers. The male is entirely blue-green while the female has a gray belly, green back, and obvious stripes on face.

The bill is extremely long and decurved. They are found in forest, but also visits feeders at forest edge.

Hoffman's Woodpecker

The Hoffman’s Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with bold black-and-white barring on back and a cream-colored belly. A patch of yellow on the lower belly can be difficult to see.

Common in open woodlands, second growth, and gardens. Distinctive in range, but hybridizes extensively with Red-crowned Woodpecker on the Pacific slope in Costa Rica.

Band-tailed Barbthroat

The Band-tailed Barbthroat is a scarce hummingbird of humid evergreen forest and edge in tropical lowlands. Favors shady understory, especially with Heliconia flowers. Usually visits flowers briefly and whips away with a sharp buzzy squeak.

Note long arched bill (yellowish below), striped face, blackish throat patch, and rusty breast patch. Striking tail pattern, black with white tips, and a white base that is only readily seen when the tail is spread. eBird

Semi Plumbeous Hawk

The Semi Plumbeous Hawk is a small forest hawk, usually seen perched inconspicuously in the canopy or at the forest edge like we observed here. White below and gray above with distinctive orange-red legs and bill.

The sexes are alike and the juvenile is similar to adult, but with whitish streaks on the head and very fine gray streaks on the breast. eBird

Summer Tanager

 

The Summer Tanager, a bird we observed almost every day in Costa Rica, is the only completely red bird in North America. The strawberry-colored male Summer Tanager is an eye-catching sight against the green leaves of the forest canopy. The mustard-yellow female is harder to spot, though both sexes have a very distinctive chuckling call note.

Fairly common during the summer, these birds migrate as far as the middle of South America each winter. All year long they specialize in catching bees and wasps on the wing, somehow avoiding being stung by their catches. eBird

Crowned Woodnymph

The Crowned Woodnymph favours evergreen forest and edge in tropical lowlands, often near streams. They feed mainly at low to middle levels in shady understory, but comes to feeders at edges and in clearings.

The male, seen here, is stunning but often looks all dark: note the fairly long, deeply forked tail and brilliant emerald and violet plumage. The female is rather dull and plain with a black bill, green-mottled flanks, and blue-black tail with whitish corners. eBird

Crested Guan

The Crested Guan is a very large, long-tailed game bird of tropical and subtropical forest. Often seen high in trees or flying through the forest canopy; usually not seen in areas near people except in some protected areas due to hunting pressure.

Their plumage is dark overall (often looks blackish) with bright red throat wattle and white streaking on body visible at closer range. Crest is bushy and usually not a striking feature.

Violet Sabrewing

The Violet Sabrewing is a very large, spectacular, and aggressive hummingbird of humid evergreen forest in highlands and foothills, descending locally and seasonally to lowlands.

Note the very large size, thick arched bill, and big, flashy white tail corners. The male’s amazing purple plumage often looks blackish overall. Even though it was raining a very cool bird to observe.

Chestnut-headed Oropendola

Montezuma Oropendola was by far the more common of the Oropendola that we observed however we were able to also see the Chestnut-Headed Oropendola. The Chestnut-headed Oropendola is a rather large, dark, yellow-tailed bird of humid evergreen forest and edge in tropical lowlands. Where present, colonies of large pendulous nests adorn tall trees.

It is often in flocks, usually in forest canopy at fruiting trees. The male is much larger than female, but sexes look similar, with a dark, rich brown head and body, blackish upperparts, pale yellowish bill, and bold yellow tail sides. eBird

Keel-billed Toucan

 

The Keel-billed Toucan is a large unmistakable toucan with a huge, rainbow-colored bill. It is often seen in pairs, but not usually in groups.

They fly with a few flaps followed by a swooping glide, sometimes high over the forest canopy,

It is heard more often than seen and its song is a far-carrying, frog-like croak, repeated steadily. Despite its large size and bright colours they can be difficult to see in leafy canopy, where it moves deliberately in search of food.