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Inca Dove (Columbina inca)

The inca dove is a small dove that forages mainly in the ground; it is very common in Ciudad Colón, along with the bigger White-winged Dove. They frequently perch in groups of three or four in branches, and groom each other with their bills. It has a scaled look, which helps them to camouflage in the ground, specially during the dry season when the grass turns yellow. Their iris is red and lacks any distinct orbital skin. In Costa Rica, there is a legend that essentially considered this species’ song a premonition of the death of a relative. Elders would say that if this dove was singing, then someone on the family would die. Due to this fame, they were hunted for much of the twentieth century by people who believed in the story. Nowadays, their song is very much melancholic, but the legend has not been carried on for the younger generations, so they no longer face this threat.

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Ruddy Ground-Dove (Columbina talpacoti)

The Ruddy Ground-Dove is a small dove that as implied by the name, forages primarily in the ground, and uses perches when startled or to roost. It is found almost all around the country. The male is distinctive with its reddish color, while the female is a lot duller, nearly gray in coloration. They are very wary of people and will start walking hurriedly if one approaches, then fly away very fast if one is getting too close to be comfortable.

Ruddy Ground-Dove
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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