Keel-billed Motmot

The Keel-billed Motmot is a medium-sized forest-dweller that likes to sit motionless. They are mostly dull green, slightly buffier below, with a black mask and breast spot.

The orange forehead and blue eyebrow and chin are distinctive. Most similar to larger Lesson’s Motmot below.

Often found singly or in pairs inside forest, usually below canopy. Cornell All About Birds

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawks are small, compact raptors with chunky bodies and large heads. In flight, their broad wings come to a distinct point. The tail is short and square.

Adult Broad-winged Hawks have reddish-brown heads, barred underparts, and broad black and white bands on the tail. The pale undersides of the wings are bordered in dark brown.

Juveniles are lighter brown with coarse streaking on the underparts, particularly on the sides of the breast; the tail is narrowly banded. Cornell All About Birds

This was a very co-operative Broad-winged Hawk at Arenal Observatory, usually in the same hunting location every evening.

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

The Black-cheeked Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker of humid evergreen forest and edge in tropical lowlands.

Distinctive, with big black mask, white patch behind eye, black upperparts with narrow white bars, and big white rump patch. 

Male has full red crown. Female has grayish forecrown and red hindcrown.

Long-tailed Tyrant

The Long-tailed Tyrant is a distinctive flycatcher with long central tail feathers that are usually obvious. They are longer in males than females. Even without tail, the plumage is unique. A black body with white back and eyebrow.

It’s a fairly small flycatcher, usually perched conspicuously in clearings, open habitats, or forest edges. Really wish we had been able to observe this bird closer as we had a fleeting glimpse at a distance.

Buff-throated Saltator

The Buff-throated Saltator is fairly common in humid tropical lowlands. They favour forest edges, plantations, and dense second growth.

Usually seen singly or in pairs, foraging quietly in flowering or fruiting trees. The buff throat patch is bordered by black moustache stripes. Cornell All About Birds

Chestnut-capped Brushfinch

The Chestnut-capped Brushfinch is a fairly stocky, sparrowlike bird of highland forests occurring mainly in humid evergreen and pine-oak forest understory, often in brushy flower banks and shady canyons, where typically skulking and difficult to see well.

They feed on or near the ground and usually in pairs. The white throat stands out against black cheeks and narrow black breast band.

Tawny-capped Euphonia

The Tawny-capped Euphonia is a small finchlike bird, compact and short tailed. Generally yellow below and dark blue-black above with stout, short bill.

On male Tawny-capped Euphonias the crown is entirely russet-orange and the throat is dark. They are often in pairs or small flocks and frequent forested habitats and edges.

Green Honeycreeper

The Green Honeycreeper is a very attractive small tanager of humid tropical lowlands. 

Found in humid evergreen forest edges, plantations, and gardens at times with mixed-species feeding flocks of honeycreepers and euphonias.

They are often in pairs, feeding at all levels in fruiting trees and bushes. Note the short, curved bill.

Males are a unique green-blue color with black hood and a banana yellow beak. Female resembles female Red-legged Honeycreeper but is larger, brighter, uniform green, with yellow lower bill and grayish legs.

Red-legged Honeycreeper

The Red-legged Honeycreeper is a small, warbler-like tanager of tropical lowlands that favours forest edge, woodland, and semi-open areas with taller trees. Often occurs in small groups, sometimes larger flocks, usually in the canopy of flowering trees, where it probes for nectar with its long bill

The red legs are bright on male, however dullest on young birds. The male is blue in breeding plumage, with a turquoise cap while the female and non-breeding male are greenish overall with faint streaking on the chest.

In flight, the underside of the wings flash bright sulphur-yellow. Cornell All About Birds

Blue-gray Tanager

The Blue-gray Tanager is a common and widespread powder blue-gray bird of open and semi-open areas with larger trees and hedges, towns, villages, and gardens in tropical and subtropical regions. A bird we observed most days on our trip.

They mainly feed at mid-upper levels in trees, eating fruit, and perches readily on phone wires. Rather plain but distinctive appearance, with beady dark eye and fairly stout bill.

Blue-and-Gold Tanager

The Blue-and-Gold Tanager is a chunky, stout-billed tanager. They are slightly larger and slower moving than many classic smaller tanagers. Overall dark slaty blue with golden yellow underparts with a short tale and red eye.

They are uncommon to rare in forests and edges, usually found in pairs or small flocks in the canopy. Cornell All About Bird

Emerald Tanager

The Emerald Tanager is a well-named tanager that is mostly emerald-green with trapezoidal black cheek patch, back streaking and wing markings.

They are small and active, usually found in pairs following mixed feeding flocks in foothill forests and edges feeding on fruit. Cornell All About Birds

Silver-throated Tanager

The Silver-throated Tanager is a small tanager, overall lemon-yellow but not super bright that usually looks a bit dirty. They have a distinctive silvery throat and green edges on wing feathers and black streaks on back.

The sexes are similar however the females a bit duller than males. 

They are common and active; usually found in pairs or small flocks, sometimes with larger mixed feeding flocks and tend to be found in more open areas such as forest edges or gardens feeding on fruit. Cornell All About Birds

Bay-headed Tanager

The Bay-headed Tanager is a stunning tanager that is mostly green with reddish head. Some populations have electric blue underparts, others entirely green.

Similar to Rufous-winged Tanager but always has green wings.

Found in pairs or small flocks in forest and edges, often in mixed feeding flocks from midstory to the canopy feeding on fruit. Cornell All About Birds

Golden-hooded Tanager

The Golden-hooded Tanager is a very attractive small tanager of humid tropical lowlands that is found in humid evergreen forest edges, plantations, and gardens. At times with mixed-species feeding flocks of honeycreepers and euphonias as was the case when we observed this tanager.

Often in pairs, feeding at all levels in fruiting trees and bushes. The sexes look alike and are black and blue overall with a white belly and a soft golden hood. Cornell All About Birds

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

The Scarlet-rumped Tanager is fairly common in humid tropical lowlands. They favour evergreen forest edges, plantations, and verdant second growth, such as areas along roadsides. They forage mainly at low to middle levels often in fairly noisy small groups.

The male is unmistakable velvety black with a blinding scarlet rump. Formerly known as Cherrie's Tanager and Passerini's Tanager. Cornell All About Birds

Crimson Collared Tanager

The Crimson Collared Tanager is a beautiful tanager of humid tropical lowlands that favours evergreen forest edge and verdant second growth.

They forage unobtrusively at all levels in trees and bushes, usually in pairs. The sexes are alike and are velvety black overall with a bright bluish-white bill and a glossy crimson collar and rump. Cornell All About Birds

All in all, a very colourful bird to observe.