26-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA, COSTA RICA - RUFOUS CRESTED COQUETTE (Lophornis delattrei)

The rufous-crested coquette (Lophornis delattrei) is a species of hummingbird native to the tropical slopes of pacific South America. Due to its small size and population, it is a rare sight even within its native region. Males of the species can be easily distinguished by their striking rufous coloured spiked crests, and females, while less obvious, can be identified by their small size and rufous coloured foreheads.

The species inhabits the Pacific and Caribbean mountainsides of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Costa Rica; and at least one observation of the species has been reported in western Brazil. The species is primarily found in altitudes of 500m 1,900m above sea level, likely inhabiting higher altitudes when breeding and lower when not. Rufous-crested Croquettes favour humid forests with evergreen or semi-deciduous compositions, and travel large distances within these ecosystems in search of suitable foods. In a homing experiment with frilled coquettes, this genetically similar species was seen to navigate ranges of up to 15 km.

26-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA, COSTA RICA - BARRED ANTSHRIKE (Thamnophilus doliatus)

The barred antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is found in the Neotropics from Tamaulipas, Mexico, through Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, and a large part of South America east of the Andes as far south as northern Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. There is one accepted record from southern Texas. It is found in a wide range of wooded habitats (even gardens and parks) in both humid and arid regions. Throughout a large part of its range, it is among the most common antbirds.

24-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA, COSTA RICA - BLACK CHEEKED WOODPECKER (Melanerpes pucherani)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-cheeked_woodpecker

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE, COSTA RICA - TREE SWALLOW (Tachycineta bicolor)

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE, COSTA RICA - RUFOUS COLLARED SPARROW (Zonotrichia capensis)

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE, COSTA RICA - CLAY COLOURED THRUSH (Turdus grayi)

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE, COSTA RICA - BLUE GREY TANAGER (Thraupis episcopus)

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE, COSTA RICA - PURPLE THROATED MOUNTAIN GEM HUMMINGBIRD (FEMALE)

25-3-2017 CATIE CENTER, COSTA RICA - BOAT BILLED HERON (Cochlearius cochlearius)

The boat-billed heron (Cochlearius cochlearius), colloquially known as the boatbill, is an atypical member of the heron family. It is the only member of the genus Cochlearius and was formerly placed in a monotypic family, the Cochleariidae. It lives in mangrove swamps from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil. It is a nocturnal bird, and breeds semicolonially in mangrove trees, laying two to four bluish-white eggs in a twig nest.

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE, COSTA RICA - BLACK FACED SOLITAIRE (Myadestes melanops)

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE, COSTA RICA - ACORN WOODPECKER (Melanerpes formicivorus)

24-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA, COSTA RICA - GOLDEN HEADED TANAGER (Stilpnia larvata)

The golden-hooded tanager (Stilpnia larvata) is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is a resident breeder from southern Mexico south to western Ecuador.

Adult golden-hooded tanagers are 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weigh 19 g (0.67 oz). The adult male has a golden head with a black eyemask edged with violet blue above and below. The upperparts of the body are black apart from the turquoise shoulders, rump and edgings of the wings and tail. The flanks are blue and the central belly is white. Females have a greenish tinge to the head, sometimes with black speckling on the crown, and more extensively white underparts. Immatures are duller, with a green head, dark grey upperparts, off-white underparts, and little blue in the plumage.

The golden-hooded tanager's call is a sharp tsit and the song is a tuneless rattled series of tick sounds.

It resides from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) altitude in the canopy of dense forests and semi-open areas like clearings, second growth and well-vegetated gardens.

Golden-hooded tanagers occur in pairs, family groups or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. They eat certain small fruit (e.g. of Trophis racemosa (Moraceae) usually swallowed whole, and insects are also taken.

The cup nest is built in a tree fork or in a bunch of green bananas, and the normal clutch is two brown-blotched white eggs. This species is often double-brooded, and the young birds from the first clutch assist with feeding the second brood of chicks.

24-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA, COSTA RICA - GOLDEN OLIVE WOODPECKER (Colaptes rubiginosus)

The golden-olive woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) is a species of bird in the subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Mexico south and east through Panama, in every mainland South American country except Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The golden-olive woodpecker was originally described as the "brown woodpecker" (Picus rubiginosus). It was later placed in the genus Piculus but since about 2007 has been moved into Colaptes by taxonomic systems.

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE COSTA RICA - GARTERED TROGON (Trogon caligatus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73523-Trogon-caligatus

23-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER, COSTA RICA - BLACK THROATED TROGON (FEMALE) (Trogon rufus)

The black-throated trogon, also known as yellow-bellied trogon, (Trogon rufus) is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. Although it is also called "yellow-bellied trogon" it is not the only trogon with a yellow belly. It breeds in lowlands from Honduras south to western Ecuador and northern Argentina.

23-3-2017 SAN GERARDO DE DOTA COSTA RICA - MENELAUS MORPHO (Morpho menelaus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/68756-Morpho-menelaus

 

23-3-2017 SAN GERARDO DE DOTA, COSTA RICA - GOLDEN BROWED CHLOROPHONIA (Chlorophonia callophrys)

The golden-browed chlorophonia (Chlorophonia callophrys) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. It is uncommon in subtropical or tropical moist montane forest above 750 m (2,460 ft) elevation.

In Costa Rica, its local common name is the rualdo. There is a legend of how this bird used to have a wonderful singing voice, but offered that to the volcano Poás to prevent a young woman from having to be sacrificed, thus keeping the volcano from erupting.

 

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE COSTA RICA - BLACK HEADED TROGON (Trogon melanocephalus)

The black-headed trogon (Trogon melanocephalus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE COSTA RICA - YELLOW THROATED TOUCAN (Ramphastos ambiguus)

The yellow-throated toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus) is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Ramphastidae, the toucans, toucanets, and aracaris. It is found from Honduras south into northern South America and beyond to Peru.

The subspecies of yellow-throated toucan are found thus:

R. a. swainsonii, from southeastern Honduras through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and western Colombia to southwestern Ecuador

R. a. ambiguus, from southwestern Colombia on the eastern slope of the Andes to south-central Peru

R. a. abbreviatus, northeastern Colombia and northwestern and northern Venezuela

The "chestnut mandibled" R. a. swainsonii primarily inhabits lowland evergreen primary forest and also occurs in gallery forest, older secondary forest, and well-treed parks and gardens. It shuns dry forest and large open areas but can be found in plantations with fruiting trees that border forest. The two "black-mandibled" subspecies are usually found in the interior of humid primary montane forest but also occur at its edges and clearings and in older secondary forest. In Ecuador the "chestnut-mandibled" is found from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), in Colombia below 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and in Costa Rica to 1,200 m (3,900 ft). The "black-mandibled" occurs between 1,000 and 1,600 m (3,300 and 5,200 ft) in Ecuador and up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in Colombia.

23-3-2017 GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA - SNAIL KITE (Rostrhamus sociabilis)

The snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Its relative, the slender-billed kite, is now again placed in Helicolestes, making the genus Rostrhamus monotypic. Usually, it is placed in the milvine kites, but the validity of that grouping is under investigation.

The snail kite breeds in tropical South America, the Caribbean, and central and southern Florida in the United States. It is resident all-year round in most of its range, but the southernmost population migrates north in winter and the Caribbean birds disperse widely outside the breeding season.

It nests in a bush or on the ground, laying three to four eggs.

This is a gregarious bird of freshwater wetlands, forming large winter roosts. Its diet consists almost exclusively of apple snails, especially the species Pomacea paludosa in Florida, and species of the genus Marisa.

Snail kites have been observed eating other prey items in Florida, including crayfish in the genus Procambarus, crabs in the genus Dilocarcinus, black crappie, small turtles and rodents. It is believed that snail kites turn to these alternatives only when apple snails become scarce, such as during drought, but further study is needed. On 14 May 2007, a birder photographed a snail kite feeding at a red swamp crayfish farm in Clarendon County, South Carolina.

The presence of the large introduced Pomacea maculata in Florida has led the snail kites in North America to develop larger bodies and beaks to better eat the snail, a case of rapid evolution. These non-native snails provide a better food source than the smaller native snails and have had a positive effect on the kites' populations.