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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
