[:en]Bird Black-bellied Plover[:es]Ave Chorlito Gris[:]
17 Jun

Black-bellied Plover

The Black-belied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) or Grey Plover is a medium-sized plover breeding in Arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding. In Costa Rica, those birds visit Gulf of Nicoya, Gulf Dulce and the Caribbean Coast. Its size is 30 cm (12 inches) and it has 190 g.

These birds prefer to live in mudflats, Salinas, estuaries, sandy beaches, grassy fields and sometimes in mangroves. Adults are dusky-brown and they have a different plumage in winter. Youngest plovers are similar to the oldest but with breast more heavily marked. The diet includes crabs, insects, crustaceans and marine worms.

01 Dec

Silvery-throated Jay

The Silvery-Throated Jay (Cyanolyca argentigula) ranges from Costa Rica to West Panama. They live in oak forests of high mountains. It measures are 26.5 cm (10 inches) in height and 65 g in weight.

It is dark, with whitish throat, wings and tail violet-blue. Most of head, neck, breast and upper part back black. Living in flocks (4 to 10 birds), this vertebrate eats small frogs, insects, salamanders, lizards, fruits and berries of Macleania and Miconia.

01 Dec

Black-headed Grosbeak

The Black-Headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) breeds from Canada to West Mexico, and winters from South Mexico to Central America. This bird lives alone. Its size is of 19 cm (7 inches) in height and 47 g in weight.

Adults have head black, body mostly bright cinnamon-buff to cinnamon-rufous. Wings and tail are black, boldly marked with white, and back streaked with black. Belly and wings-linings yellow, and in winter head scaled with buffy. Its diet is based on flying insects.

20 Jun

Short-tailed Nighthawk

The Short-tailed Nighthawk (Lurocalis semitorquatus) is a batlike in flight bird. It lives from NE Nicaragua to E Peru, N Argentina, and C Brazil.

20cm (8”), 75g. Dark, with distinctive long, blunt-pointed wings and a very short square tail. White chevron across throat; rest of head, chest and upperparts brownish-black, mottled with rufous; wings and tail barred with rufous; bases of scapulars and tertials whitish, vermiculated with black, forming pale band across base of wings (more noticeable in males); belly and wing-linings cinnamon-rufous barred with black. Bill black shading to flesh color on rami. Young: Scapulars, tertials and chest white with small rufous, black-rimmed spots giving ocellated effect.

[:en]Bird Lesser Nighthawk[:es]Ave Añapero Menor[:]
29 Jun

Lesser Nighthawk

The Lesser nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis) breeds from SW USA to Peru, Paraguay and S Brazil; winters from N Mexico S through breeding range.

22cm (8¾”), 45g. Above brownish-gray, vermiculated with dusky and finely streaked with black, mostly blackish on crown; white chevron on throat; rest of foreneck and upper breast buff, mottled with black; belly pale buff, bareed with black. Tail widely barred with black with white subterminal band; scapulars and wing coverts boldly spotted with buff; remiges dusky, barred basally with pinkish-buff; outer 4 primaries crossed by white band. ♀: Similar but throat-patch and wing-band tinged with buff; no white tail band. Young: Like adult female but above paler, with little or no streaking; smaller wing buff spots, whiter; pale wing-band reduced or lacking; tail more nartowly barred.

[:en]Bird Pinnated Bittern[:es]Ave Avetoro Neotropical[:]
12 Jun

Pinnated Bittern

The Pinnate Bittern (Botaurus pinnatus) ranges from South Mexico to Argentina. Lives in shallow freshwater marshes, lake borders with cattails, tall sedges, and flooded pastures with tall grass. Its size is of 66 cm (26 inches) in height and 850 g in weight.

Its throat, foreneck, and median underparts are white. Its foreneck and breast are broadly streaked with pale brown. Facial skin bright yellow, bill horn-color, and legs greenish. It feeds on fishes, frogs, and rodents.

01 Dec

American Bittern

The American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) ranges from South Mexico to Argentina. This solitary bird is found in freshwater marshes with tall sedges and cattails. It has a medium-sized with 64 cm (25 inches) in height and 700 g in weight.

Adults have a chestnut crown, sides of head tan, throat and belly white, and neck and breast buffy. Broadly streaked with rusty-brown, and with a broad black stripe down each side of the neck. Bill yellowish and feet greenish. This bird eats fish and small vertebrates like crustaceans and insects.

[:en]Bird Least Bittern[:es]Ave Avetorillo Pantanero[:]
12 Jun

Least Bittern

The Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) ranges from Canada to Peru and North Argentina. It is found in both slopes, principally in lowlands, and in tall grass in freshwater marshes. Its measures are 30 cm (12 inches) in height and 80 g in weight.

Its crown and mantle are glossy black (males) or chestnut (females). Face and underparts mostly buff, and belly white. Its upper mandible is black, and below flesh-color, and its legs are yellow-green. It feeds on small fishes, aquatic insects and frogs.

[:en]Bird Rufescent Tiger-Heron[:es]Ave Garza-Tigre de Selva[:]
12 Jun

Rufescent Tiger-Heron

The Rufescent Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum) ranges from East Honduras to North Argentina. Its natural habits are haunts streams, sloughs, or swamps inside forests. Adults are 66 cm (26 inches) in height and 850 g in weight.

Adult’s head, neck, and upper breast is chestnut and barred with black. Belly grayish, mantle dusky-olive, vermiculated with dull buff, and facial skin yellow. Upper mandible is blackish, lower is horn-color, and its legs are dull dark olive-green. It eats fishes.

[:en]Bird White-chinned Swift[:es]Ave Vencejo Sombrío[:]
29 Jun

White-chinned Swift

The White-Chinned Swift (Cypseloides cryptus) is found from Belize to North and West South America. It usually lives individually behind large waterfalls. This large and robust bird is 15 cm (6 inches) in height and 36 g in weight.

It has a broad head, with large eyes, short tail and wings. Adults are sooty-black, below are paler and browner. Sides of forehead scaled with grayish, small white spot on chin, and feet black. Eats mainly flying ants.

30 Nov

White-faced whistling-duck

The White-faced Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna viduata) lives in Costa Rica and from east Panama to Bolivia and north Argentina, and in Africa in Madagascar. It frequents freshwater marshes and pond margins. Its measures are 473 cm (17 inches) in height and 650 g in weight.

Its upper throat is white, separated from face by black band. Rest of head, upper neck, and central underparts are black. Lower neck and chest are chestnut, and sides are barred with black and white. Its bill is black. This bird eats invertebrates.