Birds in Costa Rica

127 species listed · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024

Our list for Costa Rica has 127 bird species recorded regularly there: 28 residents, 65 winter visitors, 31 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors.

The list comes from 19 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Birds to see in Costa Rica in September

88 species on our list are recorded regularly this month. These are the ones birdwatchers record most often.

All 88 birds in September

Arriving in September: Baltimore Oriole, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager and 21 more.

Through the year

Species recorded regularly in Costa Rica each month: most in November (110), fewest in June (42). Choose a month to see its birds.

88110
Show as a table
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated HummingbirdSmallest · 7cm
to
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue HeronLargest · 137cm
From the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (7 cm) to the Great Blue Heron (137 cm)34 families

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All 127 birds on the list

Showing 1–23 of 127 species

ResidentRecorded all yearSummer visitorArrives to breed; scarce or absent in winterWinter visitorPresent outside the breeding seasonPassage migrantSeen mainly in spring and autumn migrationScarceRecorded in some years but not every yearCommonAmong the most-recorded birds in its best monthUncommonRecorded regularly, but on a minority of outingsRareFew records, even in its best month
Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes auraLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbulaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Tennessee Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrinaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanicaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Swainson's Thrush

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatusLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Palm Tanager

Palm Tanager

Thraupis palmarumLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
White-winged Dove

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiaticaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret

Ardea ibisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Ardea albaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rusticaLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Aug–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Roadside Hawk

Roadside Hawk

Rupornis magnirostrisLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Scarlet Macaw

Scarlet Macaw

Ara macaoLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterusLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Northern Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensisLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Philadelphia Vireo

Philadelphia Vireo

Vireo philadelphicusLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Oct–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Empidonax flaviventrisLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lineated Woodpecker

Lineated Woodpecker

Dryocopus lineatusLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sand Martin

Sand Martin

Riparia ripariaLC

Passage migrantUncommon

Regularly Mar–Dec

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivaceaLC

Passage migrantUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodiasLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitusLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Osprey

Osprey

Pandion haliaetusLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Bay-breasted Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castaneaLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Oct–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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Frequently Asked Questions

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

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