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Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus)

The Lesser Violetear belongs to the same genus as the Brown Violetear, however they look pretty different due to the overall color. This species is by the most part green, however it has a big violet ear patch that is visible from any angle (not caused by iridescence) and also shows some blue-violet glow on the chest. The wing is dark brown above and light brown on the underside. After perching, this species of hummingbird has an habit of stretching its wings to the back for a moment.

Lesser Violetear
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Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendroygna autumnalis)

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is found in flocks taking residence around small ponds and lakes, becoming accustomed to people and relatively approachable. At dusk, they usually flock to the air, making circular trajectories and a lot of noise, and finally descending again into their watery home. Their calls are very high pitched and loud. Their necks are very flexible, so when resting, they normally turn their heads back and tuck they into the middle of their wings; they also like to stand up in one foot, with the other one hidden inside their belly feathers. Their bills are characteristically pink, as well as their legs. Juveniles are duller and have brownish bills instead. The Fulvous Whistling-Duck belongs to the same family and is very similar in shape, but has a different plumage coloration and gray bill and legs.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
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Blue-black Grassquit (Volatina jacarina)

This is a very small and nervous bird. Taking a close up picture of this bird proved to be difficult, even during sunny days with great light available. The male in low light it looks black, but in sunlight it glows in a metallic blue color. The female is rather drab, sporting a brown look. The male perches in fence wire and posts, then suddenly starts jumping while making its call, doing acrobatic maneuvers in mid air, all to attract nearby females.

Blue-black Grassquit
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Scarlet-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii)

The Scarlet-rumped Tanager is known locally as “Sargento” (Seargent) and “Sangre de Toro” (Bull’s blood), among other names. Previously it was known as the Passerini´s Tanager, being virtually identical to the Cherries Tanager, but only inhabiting the Caribbean, whereas the Cherries was only found in the pacific. In sunlight, the red rump of the male glows strongly, contrasting with the deep black in the eyes and the rest of the body. The female is brownish in coloration, and differs from the Cherries by not having the orange throat. The Juvenile male has the same coloration as the female, however as it morphs into adult plumage, patches of black start to show in the body, giving it kind of a Calico look.

Scarlet-rumped Tanager
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Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani)

This is a medium sized woodpecker that can be found in the Caribbean and northern part of the country. The male has red back and top of the head, with a yellow patch in the front, while the female has whitish top of the head (nape). Both have black cheeks, which give this species its name. Other notable features are its black wings with white dots, black back with white barring, yellowish flanks with black barring and red belly, which gives the bird a very contrasty look. It’s call is a piercing chirrr, chirrr, chirrr that can be heard from afar and make identification of the species easier.

Like most woodpeckers, they make holes in trees for nesting, which are then reused by other species, hence their success can indirectly impact population sizes for other species. Many times the nests that they empty are reused by similarly sized birds to construct theirs, with Emerald Toucanets as one such example, but even some owls will make use of them. It’s not uncommon to see either the male or female inside the hole, with just the head out, watching out for potential predators as they keep their eggs or chicks safe inside. Something more peculiar is seeing these birds pecking at public lampposts made out of concrete, I have not yet deciphered why would they do that. On feeders, they like to eat papaya, but they will also catch small insects for food.

Black-cheeked Woodpecker
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Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes Cyaneus)

The moment I saw this bird for the first time, I knew it would become my favorite. It is fairly small, yet the blue body and red legs of the male just pop out in their normal habitat, which is fairly green. The female is more difficult to spot, since most of the body is dark green, and the legs are dull red, even brownish. And there is more, because the juvenile male starts with the same green color as the female, however as it matures it gets the blue body and bright red legs. After the breeding season, the male again turns green, but keeps the red legs. This means that males can also be seen in various molting stages, with patches of green, blue and black all over the body.

Note that while the Red-legged Honeycreeper is in the Tanager family, its body shape is slimmer and is in general smaller than the Tanagers. The closest one in size is the Plain-colored Tanager, however the body shape is entirely different, with shorter bill and fluffier plumage. In Costa Rica, there are two other Honeycreeper species, the Shining Honeycreeper (which belongs to the same Cyanerpes genus) with its yellow legs, and the Green Honeycreeper (which belongs to the Chlorosphanes genus), with a green body.

Red-legged Honeycreeper
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Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi)

The national bird of Costa Rica, known locally as “Yigüirro”, has a beautiful song and can be found almost anywhere in the territory. It is said that their song marks the start of the rainy season, so in past century, farmers would schedule their crops accordingly. It is now known that males sing to attract females for mating, and that the start of the rainy season just coincides with the start of the breeding season for this bird. They like to eat insects, but also eat fruit like papaya and banana. They are most fond of the ground, where they move along by hopping instead of walking.

Clay-colored Thrush