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 47–69 of 127 species

Sanderling

Sanderling

Calidris albaLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Recorded all year

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

Hairy Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus villosusLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

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

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusillaNT

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Jul–May

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

Mottled Owl

Strix virgataLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

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

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitariaLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Aug–May

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

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipesVU

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Jul–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseusVU

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Jul–May

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

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleucaNT

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Jul–May

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

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Dickcissel

Dickcissel

Spiza americanaLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Gray-cheeked Thrush

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Catharus minimusLC

Passage migrantUncommon

Regularly Oct–Nov

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black-crowned Night-heron

Black-crowned Night-heron

Nycticorax nycticoraxLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

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

Painted Bunting

Passerina cirisLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Nov–Apr

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

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotosLC

Passage migrantUncommon

Regularly Aug–May

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

Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensisLC

ResidentUncommon

Recorded all year

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

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapillaLC

Winter visitorUncommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

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

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macrouraLC

ResidentRare

Recorded all year

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

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax trailliiLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Aug–May

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

Purple Martin

Progne subisLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Aug–Apr

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

Black Tern

Chlidonias nigerLC

ResidentRare

Recorded all year

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

Marbled Godwit

Limosa fedoaVU

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Jul–May

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

Common Potoo

Nyctibius griseusLC

ResidentRare

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcanLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Oct–Jun

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

Glossy Ibis

Plegadis falcinellusLC

Winter visitorRare

Recorded all year

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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