Birds to See in Costa Rica in May
71 bird species on our list for Costa Rica are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Turkey Vulture, White-winged Dove, Palm Tanager, Roadside Hawk and Cattle Egret. New this month: Hudsonian Godwit.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayFrom Costa Rica’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 71 birds in May
71 birds
Turkey VultureCathartes auraResidentCommon62–81 cmRecorded all year · 1.13% in May
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaResidentCommon27–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.78% in May
Palm TanagerThraupis palmarumResidentCommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.75% in May
Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostrisResidentUncommon33–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.42% in May
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.38% in May
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.34% in May
Scarlet MacawAra macaoResidentUncommon81–96 cmRecorded all year · 0.31% in May
Lineated WoodpeckerDryocopus lineatusResidentUncommon32–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in May
Great CurassowCrax rubraResidentUncommon84–92 cmRecorded all year · 0.21% in May
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusResidentUncommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in May
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentUncommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in May
Acorn WoodpeckerMelanerpes formicivorusResidentUncommon20–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in May
Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatusWinter visitorCommon16–20 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.12% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentUncommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in May
Ferruginous Pygmy-owlGlaucidium brasilianumResidentUncommon15–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in May
Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventrisWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.08% in May
Mottled OwlStrix virgataResidentUncommon30–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.08% in May
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusResidentUncommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisResidentUncommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusResidentUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in May
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasWinter visitorUncommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
OspreyPandion haliaetusWinter visitorUncommon54–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in May
WilletTringa semipalmataWinter visitorUncommon33–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatusWinter visitorUncommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesWinter visitorUncommon23–27 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.04% in May
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaPassage migrantUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.03% in May
Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.03% in May
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentUncommon36–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Common PotooNyctibius griseusResidentRare33–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.03% in May
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisWinter visitorUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.03% in May
Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorumPassage migrantRare13–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.02% in May
Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax trailliiWinter visitorRare13–17 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.02% in May
Black TernChlidonias nigerResidentRare22–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaWinter visitorUncommon29–40 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.02% in May
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriWinter visitorUncommon14–17 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.02% in May
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentRare23–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.02% in May
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanWinter visitorRare32–36 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.02% in May
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusWinter visitorUncommon23–32 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.02% in May
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaWinter visitorUncommon10–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.01% in May
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusWinter visitorRare18–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in May
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaWinter visitorRare40–50 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.01% in May
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorPassage migrantRare22–24 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in May
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.01% in May
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorUncommon34–58 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.01% in May
Solitary SandpiperTringa solitariaWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in May
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.01% in May
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusWinter visitorRare48–66 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Common TernSterna hirundoWinter visitorRare31–35 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentRare30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsResidentRare31–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaWinter visitorRare33–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly May · 0.01% in May
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.00% in May
Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimusWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.00% in May
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumWinter visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly Dec–May · 0.00% in May
Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichasWinter visitorRare11–13 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.00% in May
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.00% in May
Fulvous Whistling-DuckDendrocygna bicolorResidentRare45–53 cmRecorded all year · 0.00% in May
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.00% in May
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusWinter visitorRare46–51 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.00% in May
Leach's Storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousPassage migrantRare18–21 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.00% in May
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusResidentRare41–46 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 0.00% in May
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnoliaWinter visitorRare11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.00% in May
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