Paradise Peak Real Estate - Costa Rica

Birds and Butterflies

Costa Rica is a butterfly watchers’ dream. This small country has more species of butterflies than all of Africa. During February, March and Aril we have an influx of butterflies that is a show not to be missed. The large blue morpho gets the most of the attention, but many others are equally as beautiful abound in our gardens. On one day in March, we counted over 30 different butterflies on the farm.

Lankaster Gardens has a screened section dedicated to butterflies. San Chiri Lodge and Restaurant also has a butterfly area.

The Butterfly Farm, located near the airport is the best butterfly exhibit in Latin America and a popular tourist attraction. The Butterfly Farm is very family friendly and educational. What a great introduction to Costa Rica! The quote below was taken from their web site at: http://www.butterflyfarm.co.cr/tbf/index.htm

“Few places in the world offer visitors a more in depth view and appreciation of butterflies. At The Butterfly Farm, widely recognized as one of the most popular destinations close to San Jose, all guests receive a two-hour guided tour. Inside an enclosed tropical garden, hundreds of Costa Rican butterflies flutter around flowers as trained guides explain about the life cycle and natural history of these fascinating creatures. Early morning tours may have the extra treat of watching butterflies emerging from their chrysalides. On export days visitors may watch thousands of pupae being packed for export.”

Birds
The joke is; when birdwatchers die, they go to Costa Rica. Costa Rica has over 850 species of birds, more than all of Europe or the United States and Canada combined. It boggles the mind to think that 1/10th of all species of known birds on earth inhabit this small country. Hummingbirds, only found in the Americas, inhabit the entire country, with over 60 different species. Beating their wings up to 80 times per second, they are the only bird in the world that can fly backward. Sixteen different types of parrots make Costa Rica home, including the scarlet, green and blue macaws. From the upper cloud forest, where the quetzal lives, to the coastal towns, home of the toucans, Costa Rica is a bird watchers’ dream. Don’t forget the binoculars!

A special note to photographers: When photographing a hummingbird, keep a distance that does not disturb the bird while in the nest, especially if the hummingbird has babies. If the parent bird is disturbed while in the nest, it will not return. We have had guest photograph, using a flash, a hummingbird with babies in the nest. The nest and babies were abandoned. Even getting near the bird, while in the nest is a big risk. Please be respectful of our hummingbirds’ habits.

This is a list of some of the birds seen in Costa Rica and the Orosi area.

The numbers refer to Skutch's "Birds of Costa Rica”.
P = Seen from Porch of house.
F = Seen somewhere on our farm.
FA = Seen with in 3 miles or 5 kilometers of farm.

American Coot	FA	07-01	P 130.
American Redstart	FA	41-10	P 401.
American Swallow-tailed Kite	P	15-02	P 099.
Baltimore Oriole	P	44-07	P 412.
Bananaquit	P	40-24	P 382.
Band-tail Pigeon	P	18-01	P 167.
Bat	P	15-14	P 116.
Black Phoebe	FA	36-05	P 305.
Black Swift	P	22-02	P 204.
Black Vulture	P	13-04	P 046.
Black & White Warbler	P	41-13	P 383.
Black-bellied Whistling Duck	FA	08-06	P 090.
Black-billed Cuckoo	F	21-01	P 184.
Black-cheeked Woodpecker	P	28-14	P 252.
Black-cowled Oriole	P	44-05	P 410.
Black-headed Saltator	P	48-01	P 441.
Black-necked Stilt	FA	09-12	P 134.
Blackburnian Warbler	P	48-08	P 392.
Blue Seedeater	P	11-49	P 450.
Blue & White Swallow	P	22-20	P 345
Blue-black Grassquit	P	49-07	P 452.
Blue-crowned Motmot	P	27-08	P 242.
Blue-gray Tanager	P	46-15	P 428.
Blue-winged Teal	FA	08-05	P 093.
Blue-winged Warbler	P	41-06	P 384.
Boat-billed Flycatcher	FA	35-12	P 309.
Broad-winged Hawk	P	16-13	P 107.
Bronzed Cowbird	P	44-15	P 408.
Brown Jay	P	39-19	P 348.
Buff-throated Saltator	P	48-02	P 442.
Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge	F	12-16	P 120.
Cattle Egret	P	05-13	P 083.
Chestnut-headed Oropendola	P	44-09	P 405.
Chestnut-sided Warbler	P	43-04	P 392.
Clay-colored Robin (Thursh)	P	39-08	P 363.
Collard Red-Start	FA	42-06	P 402.
Collard Trogon	P	26-05	P 235.
Common Moorhen	FA	07-02	P 129.
Common Pauraque	P	21-18	P 200.
Common Tody-flycatcher	P	37-07	P 330.
Common Yellow-throat	FA	42-10	P 397.
Cooper's Hawk	P	16-04.	P 102.
Crimson-collared Tanager	P	47-03	P 430.
Dusky-capped Flycatcher	F	35-21	P 316.
Eastern Meadowlark	F	50-16	P 414.
Emerald Toucanet	FA	27-17	P 248.
Flame-colored Tanager	P	47-09	P 433.
Giant Cowbird	P	44-10	P 407.
Golden-olive Woodpecker	P	28-11	P 256.
Grayish Saltator	P	48-03	P 442.
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren	P	38-14	P 359.
Gray-headed Chachalaca	P	12-01	P 118.
Great Black Hawk	FA	13-07	P 105.
Great Blue Heron	FA	05-06	P 86.
Great Egret	P	05-14	P 86.
Great Kiskadee	P	35-13	P 313.
Great-tailed Grackle	P	44-16	P 409.
Green Hermit HB	P	23-03	P 211.
Green Heron	FA	06-02	P 084.
Green Thorntail	P	25-01	P 216.
Green-crowned Brilliant HB	P	23-15	P 227.
Grooved-billed Ani	P	21-09	P 186.
Hoffmann's Woodpecker	P	28-16	P 253.
Hooded Warbler	P	42-95	P 399.
Hook-billed Kite	P	14-09; 16-09
House Wren	P	38-18	P 357.
Inca Dove	P	18-11	P 171.
Keeled-billed Toucan	P	27-18	P 250.
Killdeer	FA	10-01	P 138.
Lesser Scaup	FA	07-06	P 094.
Little Blue Heron	FA	05-09	P 084.
Little Hermit HB	P	23-01	P 211.
Long-billed Dowitcher	FA	09-04	P 145.
Long-billed Starthroat HB	P	23-18	P 229.
Magenta-throated Woodstar HB	FA	25-02	P 229.
Masked Tityra	P	34-01	P 293.
Melodious Blackbird	P	52-06	P 406.
Montezuma Oropendola	P	44-08	P 406.
Mourning Dove	F	18-13	P 169.
Northern Jacana	FA	06-18	P 132.
Northern Shoverler Duck	FA	08-02	P 094.
Ochraceous Wren	FA	38-19	P 358.
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher	P	36-25	P 340.
Olivaceous Woodcreeper	P	29-07	P 261.
Olive-sided Flycatcher	P	36-04	P 317.
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush	P	38-26	P 369.
Ovenbird	P	43-12	P 395.
Pale-billed Woodpecker	P	27-14	P 258.
Palm Tanager	P	45-19	P 429.
Paltry Tyrannulet(Mistletoe)	P	37-10	P 337.
Passarini's Tanager (scarlet-rumped)	P	47-04	P 429.
Peregrine Falcon	P	15-05	P 117.
Plain Wren	P	38-17	P 352.
Purple Gallinule	FA	06-15	P 129.
Red-billed Pigeon	P	18-02	P 168.
Red-tailed Hawk	P	17-08	P 109.
Rose-brested Grosbeak	P	48-08	P 445.
Ruddy-ground Dove	F	18-07	P 170.
Ruddy Pigeon	P	18-05	P 168.
Rufous-capped Warbler	P	40-16	P 403.
Rufous-collared Sparrow	F	50-13	P 463.
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird	P	24-10	P 222.
Scarlet Tanager	P	47-08	P 431.
Scintillent Hummingbird	P	25-07	P 230.
Sedge Wren	FA	38-01	P 351.
Silver-throated Tanager	P	46-06	P 422.
Slate-throated Redstart	F	42-07	P 401.
Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush	F	38-23	P 368.
Social Flycatcher	F	35-14	P 313.
Spotted-bellied Bobwhite	F	12-13	P 120.
Spotted-crowned Woodcreepeer	FA	29-09	P 265.
Squirrel Cuckoo	P	21-07	P 185.
Steely-vented Hummingbird	P	24-15	P 221.
Sulfer-winged Parakeet	P	19-12	P 179.
Summer Tanager	P	47-05	P 430.
Tennessee Warbler	P	40-22	P 385.
Townsend's Warbler	P	43-08	P 390.
Tropical Gnatcatcher	P	41-02	P 371.
Tropical Kingbird	P	35-01	P 307.
Tropical Parula	P	41-03	P 389.
Tropical Screech Owl	P	20-15	P 190.
Turkey Vulture	P	13-03	P 096.
Violet Sabrewing HB	P	23-09	P 213.
Western Kingbird	F	35-02	P 308.
Western-wood Pewee	F	36-07	P 317.
White-collared Seedeater	FA	49-02	P 448.
White-collared Swift	P	22-01	P 206.
White-crowned Parrot	P	19-07	P 181.
White-eared Ground Sparrow	P	48-19	P 460.
White-lined Tanager	P	46-16	P 436.
White-tailed Kite	P	15-01	P 099.
White-tipped Dove	P	18-14	P 172.
Wilson's Warbler	P	42-04	P 400.
Wood Stork	P	04-06	P 087.
Yellow-bellied Elaenia	F	37-36	P 333.
Yellow-faced Grassquit	F	49-06	P 447.
Yellow-green Vireo	P	40-05	P 378.
Yellow-rumped Warbler	F	43-11	P 389.
Yellow-throated Brush-Finch	F	48-15	P 456.
Yellow-throated Euphonia	FA	45-05	P 420.
Yellow-throated Viero	P	40-06	P 377.
Zeledon's Tyrannulet (Rough-legged)	P	37-18	P 338.
Zone-tailed Hawk	P	13- 1;14-02	P 010.

Paradise Peak: 1-800-867-5761 (USA - Canada) / Office Costa Rica (506) 2533-1453 / Orosi, Cartago, Costa Rica / Copyrights.
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