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

Get a monthly guide to birds in Costa Rica

Find out which birds are visiting your area this month, with seasonal tips and garden advice

Get Your Free Digest

All 127 birds on the list

Showing 93–115 of 127 species

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorumLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Dec–May

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

Grey Phalarope

Phalaropus fulicariusLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Nov–Jan

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

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinusLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Oct–Jun

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

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnoliaLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Sep–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Dendrocygna bicolorLC

ResidentRare

Recorded all year

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

Ruff

Calidris pugnaxLC

ScarceRare

Regularly Nov

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

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichasLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Oct–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
White-rumped Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollisVU

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Apr–Nov

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

Spotted something?

Upload a photo to identify it

Identify
Lark Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Chondestes grammacusLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Nov

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Pacific Golden-Plover

Pacific Golden-Plover

Pluvialis fulvaLC

ScarceRare
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail

Anas acutaLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Dec–Feb

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

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceusNT

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Oct–Dec

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

Cinnamon Teal

Spatula cyanopteraLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Oct–Mar

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

Red Knot

Calidris canutusNT

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Aug–Feb

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaoctoLC

ResidentRare

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black-billed Cuckoo

Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmusLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Apr–Nov

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Forster's Tern

Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteriLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Dec–Jan

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

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemasticaVU

Passage migrantRare

Regularly May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
American Golden-Plover

American Golden-Plover

Pluvialis dominicaLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Oct–May

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

Bobolink

Dolichonyx oryzivorusLC

Passage migrantRare

Regularly Sep–Nov

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

Eurasian Teal

Anas creccaLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Dec–Mar

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

Palm Warbler

Setophaga palmarumLC

Winter visitorRare

Regularly Oct–Apr

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

Arctic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticusLC

ResidentRare

Regularly Sep–Jul

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
PreviousPage 5 of 6Next

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

Download citations (7)