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Central Valley

Believe it or not, there are some particular places in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, for great opportunities to add species to your check list. Around San Jose, Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago you can have a great birding. The Central Valley is still a great hotspot for birding.

Birding the Capital of Costa Rica there is a chance to see Great-tailed grackle, Blue-gray tanger, Palm tanager, Clay-colored thrush (national bird), Inca dove, Grayish saltator, Rufous-collared sparrow, Rufous-tailed hummingbird, Crimson-fronted parakeet, Hoffmann’s woodpecker, Blue-crowned motmot, Ferruginous pygmy-owl and Bronzed cowbird.

Hotel Bougainvillea & Botanical Garden is the best accommodation (core site) for birdwatchers in the central plateau of Costa Rica to start of end a birding holidays in the country.

Blue Crowned Motmot

Emblematic Birds:

-Blue-crowned motmot

-Clay-colored thrush

-Green-breasted mango

-White-naped brush-finch

-Violet Sabrewing

-Steely-Vented Hummingbird

-White-eared ground-sparrow

-Fork-Tailed Emerald

-Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

-Red-billed pigeon

Blue-crowned motmot. Alvaro Cubero (c).

Local hotspots: 

If you are staying at Bougainvillea or visiting the Central Valley, besides of birding the stunning botanical garden of this hotel, there are some other locations in the area to complete your check list of the birds of the capital of Costa Rica:

Bromelias bougainvillea hotel-La Carpintera

-Poas Volcano & Varablanca

-Barva Volcano

-Irazu Volcano & Lankester Garden

-Laguna de Hule

-Fraijanes

-Doñana Lagoon

-Escazu Hills

The gardens of the Bougainvillea Hotel in Santo Domingo Heredia.