COSTA RICA BIRD PARADISE JUST GOT MORE BEAUTIFUL

COSTA RICA

Paradise is surely filled with lots of beautiful colorful birds happily singing and flitting through lush trees, sipping nectar from exotic flowers, nibbling at glossy seeds and iridescent insects. Costa Rica pretty much fits the bill.

Long known as a go-to spot for birders, Costa Rica boasts over 915 species of birds (10% of all species in the world). But now, little Central American country offers another compelling reason. The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), recently launched a National Birds Route -- an itinerary that includes 12 bird hotspots across the country for unparalleled birding expeditions.

The 12 sites are distributed across Costa Rica’s 7 provinces: Caño Negro in Alajuela, Tapantí in Cartago, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí in Heredia, San Gerardo de Dota in San José, Santa Rosa and Palo Verde in Guanacaste, Monteverde, Carara, Corcovado and Coto Brus in Puntarenas, and Tortuguero and Cahuita in Limón.

Bird-watching is among the fastest-growing tourist activities in the world, according to ICT research. According to a recent study by Peru’s Tourism Ministry, Costa Rica ranks 5th worldwide for best bird-watching.

Because Costa Rica is so small, about the size of West Virginia, and the biodiversity and density of its bird population is so high -- the highest in the Western hemisphere, it’s easy to navigate the new Route and see a brilliant rainbow of feathered creatures in a short time.

Songbirds that summer in the US and Canada spend the winter in Costa Rica. And, in autumn, the Costa Rica Caribbean region becomes the 2nd largest migratory passage of birds of prey on the planet. Millions of eagles, hawks, falcons, buzzards, owls, and others do the commute.

The humid forests of Santa Rosa National Park, shelter about 250 species of birds, including the Saltarín Toledo, Barranquero, Pico Redondo Toucans, and Guaco birds.

Bright green Quetzales wing their way through high altitude cloud forests and the tropical rain forest of Monteverde.

The Monteverde Reserve alone is home to 400 bird species, including Campana Birds, Montezuma’s Orioles, Thrushes, Hummingbirds and other migratory birds.

Lowland rainforests of the Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park and the Cárara Biological Reserve are where you’ll find endangered bird species, including the Red Lapa.

Osa Peninsula is home to over 360 bird species, including toucans and hummingbirds

Parque del Este is rich with oropéndola, Barranquero, herons, and jacanas.

The Caño Negro Wildlife Reserve is a swimming with rare species of waterfowl. Tortuguero National Park flashes with large brightly feathered macaws.

Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure, offered by the Veragua Foundation offers a wonderful bundle. Check out the 3400+ acre park, where rainforest research and conservation efforts are underway. It’s possible to see almost half the species of birds in all of Costa Rica there in 24 hours.

Contact Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure to arrange a specialized Costa Rica bird-watching tour. Visit Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure Park for one of the best rainforest tours in Costa Rica. Your visit helps support their community outreach programs.Lapa Rios Eco Lodge is beautiful birding destination. Nestled in more than a 1,000 acres of primary and old re-growth rainforest, Lapa Rios has recorded more than 325 bird species, such as the bananaquit and the Baltimore Oriole. Its varied ecosystems range from the Golfo Dulce-Pacific beaches up to primary forest-covered Osa Peninsula hilltops. Check out their Early Bird Tour.

Read more about Birds all this week on BeautifulNow. 

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Ralph Earlandson. “A Drop of Nectar on the Beak.” Hummingbird. Bosque de Paz, Costa Rica.
2. Image: by Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith. “Collared Aracari.” (Pteroglossus torquatus). Tuis, Cartago Province, Costa Rica.
3. Image: by The.Rohit. Beautiful hummingbird with bright orange flower. Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica.
4. Image: by Lina Lopera. “Momo.”(Barranquero Momotus momota). Costa Rica.
5. Image: by Andy Morffew. “Chestnut-mandibled Toucan.” Costa Rica.
6. Image: by Andy Morffew. “A soggy Red-legged Honeycreeper.” Costa Rica.
7. Image: by Andy Morffew. “Golden-hooded Tanager.” Costa Rica.
8. Image: by Arley Vargas. “Pharomachrus auriceps, Golden-headed Quetzal.” Costa Rica.
9. Image: by Peter Glenday. “Corcovado from the air.” Corcovado National Park. Costa Rica.
10. Image: by Amir Matityahu. “Green Heron.” Costa Rica.
11. Image: by Juan Zamora. “Chlorophanes spiza.”(Green Honeycreeper). Jardin Botanico Wilson, Las Cruses. Coto Brus. Costa Rica
12. Image: by Howard Ignatius. “Right Here In Our Own Backyard.” Hummingbird. Costa Rica.
13. Image: by Matt MacGillivray. “Bananaquit.”
14. Image: by Matthew Paulson.  “Lapa Rios Jungle Sunrise.” Lapa Rios Ecolodge. Costa Rica.
15. Image: by Scott Heron. “Baltimore Oriole.” Kingston, New Hampshire.
16. Image: by BN App - Download now!
17. Image: by Len Blumin. “Crested Oropendola.” Trinidad and Tobago.