The Green Heron is a small bird (44 cm.) that likes to stalk it’s pray. Native populations can be found all over Costa Rica as well as in most of Central America. These birds appear in their breeding ranges at the same time they did 100 years ago. They are quite common in habitats that go along water bodies such as mangroves, beaches and rivers. Adults have a glossy, greenish-black cap, a greenish back and wings that are grey-black grading into green or blue, a chestnut neck with a white line down the front, grey under parts and short yellow legs. The bill is dark with a long, sharp point. Continue reading →

Common Black Hawks are successful predatory birds. The short tail is black with a single broad white band and a white tip. The bill is black and the legs and cere are yellow. It has very broad wings, and is mainly black or dark gray. Continue reading →

The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron. These guys are found all over Central America and in Costa rica they can be found in the Manuel Antonio National Park. The non-breeding adult has mainly white feathers, a yellow bill and grayish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the western subspecies develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast and crown. Continue reading →

The frigate birds are a family of seabirds and are also called frigate pelicans. It can be found breeding along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and in the Corcovado National Park. Continue reading →

The Black-necked Stilt is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. The tail is white with some grey banding. A continuous area of black extends from the back along to the head. There, it forms a cap covering the entire head from the top to just below eye-level, with the exception of the areas surrounding the bill and a small white spot above the eye. Stilts’ legs are longer in proportion to their bodies than any other bird except the flamingo. They also have partially webbed feet, which allow them to swim – but they rarely do. Continue reading →