Streak-backed Oriole

Icterus pustulatus 

 

 

Appearance: 
Large oriole
Bright orange body
Black streaks on back
Deep orange-red head and breast
Black face and chin
Black wings with two bold white bars
Black tail with white corners

I saw their long, hanging nest a day or two before spotting the birds. It was attached to the tip of a branch overhanging the pool area of our condo. Apparently, the two birds had built the nest the week before we arrived. By the end of our week-long vacation, we could already hear the chirping of baby birds coming from within.  Ah... the miracle of life.

Learn more about the Streak-backed Oriole. 

Inca Dove

Columbina inca

Appearance:
Small, pale-brown dove
Feathers edged in dark brown creating a scaly pattern over entire body
Underparts and face are paler than back
Long, square-tipped tail with white outer features
Small head
Thin, slightly drooping bill
Pink legs and feet

The distinct scaly-pattern of the Inca Dove makes identification of this little fellow easy. I saw them daily foraging for food on the ground. They seemed to prefer the dusty, open areas around the buildings and parks while the rest of us enjoyed the sandy beaches.

Learn more about the Inca Dove.

White-throated Magpie-jay

Calocitta formosa

 
Appearance:
Long blue, white-tipped tail
Curved crest of black feathers on head
Blue upperparts
White face and underparts
Black band around throat
Variable black patterning on the face

Having been forewarned that these birds were noisy pests around the pool area at the condo where I was staying in Guanacaste, I was rather surprised when none of them made an appearance during my stay there. I did have the good fortunate to spot one or two around the beach though.

Learn more about the White-throated Magpie-jay.

Green Heron

Butorides virescens

Appearance:
Small, stocky heron
Long, dagger-like, black bill
Glossy, greenish-black crown
Greenish back and wings
Chestnut neck with white line down front
Gray underparts
Yellow legs
Juvenile:
   Browner
   Pale streaking on neck
   Spots on wings and back
   Greenish-yellow legs and bill

In the past, I've always seen Green Herons hunched on the water's edge with their thick necks drawn up against their bodies. This one was much more cooperative, giving me a variety of poses including raising its dark cap into a crest.

Learn more about the Green Heron. 

Blue-gray Tanager

Thraupis episopus

Appearance:
Light bluish-gray head and underparts
Bright blue upperparts and tail
Short, thick, black bill

Our early morning walk along the beach in Playa del Coco turned up a number of new birds today, including this little one. Although the Blue-gray Tanager is very widespread and abundant from southeast Mexico to central South America, this was the only one I saw during my time in Costa Rica.
 
Learn more about the Blue-gray Tanager. 

Oranged-chinned Parakeet

Brotogeris jugularis

Appearance:
Small parakeet
Green to yellow-green plumage
Brown patch on wings
Small orange patched under bill
Horn-coloured, hooked bill
White eye-ring
Brown eye

Though plentiful in number given the racket they made, I had difficulty locating these birds as they tended to perch high in the trees and blended in with the bright green foliage.

Learn more about the Orange-chinned Parakeet.

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularia

 

Appearance:

Medium-small shorebird

Pale eyebrow and dark eye-line

White wedge up onto shoulder
Breeding plumage:  (pictured above)
    - Orange bill with black tip
    - Brown head, back and upper-wings with small black bars
    - White underparts with round, dark spots

Non-breeding plumage:

     - Dark bill with pale base

     - Pale brown head, back and upper-wings with dark and buff bars

     - White underparts, without dark spots

 

We saw this sandpiper on the muddy bank of the Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park. He was very close to the water where crocodiles were in plain view. Our guide told us that crocodiles and sandpipers have a symbiotic relationship. The crocodiles supposedly allows the birds to enter their mouths to clean their teeth. Really?!? Although apparently the story has been around since the Greek historian Herodotus wrote about it in the fifth century BC, it sounds a bit far-fetched to me.

 

Learn more about the Spotted Sandpiper.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Appearance:
Small heron
Squat, thick proportions
Thick necks
Large, flat head
Heavy, pointed bill
Short legs
Broad, rounded wings
Adult:
    - Pale grey upperparts
    - Black crown and back
    - White underparts
    - Yellow legs
    - Black bill
    - Red eyes
Immature:
    - Brown with large white spots on the wings
    - Blurry streaks on the underparts
    - Yellowish-green legs
    - Yellow and black bill
    - Orange eyes

Today we went for a boat tour on the Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park. Word of advice: if you plan a trip there, don't forget your bug spray!The mosquitoes were horrendous. Along with the insects, we did see lots of birds, as well as crocodiles and howler monkeys. This heron, normally active at night, was foraging on the bank of the river. It was rather striking with its gray and black plumage and long white head plume.

immature (photo taken in San Diego, CA)

Learn more about the Black-crowned Night-Heron.

  

Rufous-naped Wren

Campylorhynchus rufinucha

Appearance:
Large wren
Black, slightly decurved bill
Dark crown and eye stripe
White supercilium, cheek and throat
Rufous nape, upper back and rump
Cinnamon-brown upperparts streaked with black and white
Barred black and greyish-white wings and tail
White underparts

I often spotted a pair of these wrens foraging in the low vegetation around our condo during my time in Costa Rica. Compared to many of the birds in the area, these ones seemed rather tame and inquisitive. 

Learn more about the Rufous-naped Wren.

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Eumomota superciliosa 

Appearance:
Olive-green body
Rufus back and belly
Broad turquoise band above eye
Black mask with thin strip of turquoise underneath
Triangular patch of rufus behind eye
Turquoise-bordered black patch on throat
Olive-green and turquoise wings with black tips
Turquoise tail with black tips
Two long, central tail feathers with middle portion missing
Long, thick, black bill

These striking birds were quite common in Guanacaste. I saw them daily during my time there, perched on telephone wires and fence posts, waving their tails back and forth like pendulums. Oddly enough, none of them had any turquoise on their brow, which I found a bit confusing. The most interesting thing I witnessed was a pair of them entering a tiny hole in a bank of dirt next to a road. Apparently, they dig long tunnels in banks to build their nests.

Learn more about the Turquoise-browed Motmot.