By: Sergio Arias.
Very well known because of its pristine and famous beaches, the Nicoya Peninsula it by itself a beach lovers destination, the land of the eternal sunsets. Also recent international studies added Nicoya to the list of the Blue Zones of the World, as one of the sites where people have longer life, compared to the average of the world, a very special condition related to the local life style, diet and nature. But also now Nicoya is becoming one of the top birding hotspots of Costa Rica, combining exceptional accommodations, great guides and of course easy birding for stunning and rare species.
Not many people in the world have been privileged to bird one of the Blue zones of the wold in the Dry Forest of Costa Rica, famous country, home to more than 900 species of birds and the 5% of the biodiversity of the world, and now Nicoya is calling to all the bird lovers.
The North Pacific is the driest side of Costa Rica and the last part of the Mesoamerican dry forest. The dry season last here over 6 months. In the surroundings of the Nicoya Gulf and basin of Tempisque rivers, the lands is plain, broken in some areas by limestone hills. The natural flora of the region is mainly deciduous forest, in the bottom of the rivers the forest is evergreen.
More than 300 species of birds have been recorded in the area and the surroundings of Tango Mar Hotel, the best property to experience the rich birdlife of the Peninsula and its dry forest and wet lands home to some of the very specials to Costa Rica including: Double-stripe thick knee, Three-wattled bellbird, Elegant trogon, Long-tailed manakin, Mangrove hummingbird, Striped cuckoo, Plain chachalaca, Mangrove vireo, Plain-capped starthroat and Yellow-nape parrot.
In a single day birding in the are it is easy to get a big list (80 or more) of birds in the hotel and Tango Mar Reserve grounds, but by visiting some additional protected areas in the region, the check list goes bigger. Two super local birding spots in the are are: Cabo Blanco Absolute Reserve & Curu Wildlife Refuge (Also called the second Manuel Antonio of Costa Rica).
List of the main species of the Nicoya Peninsula recorded at the Tango Mar Reserve
| 1 | Black-bellied Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis/R |
| 2 | Muscovy Duck | Cairina moschata/R |
| 3 | Plain Chachalaca | Ortalis vetula/R |
| 4 | Great Curassow |
Crax rubra/R |
| 5 | Least Grebe | Tachybaptus dominicus/R |
| 6 | Wood Stork | Mycteria americana/R,M |
| 7 | Magnificent Frigatebird | Fregata magnificens/R |
| 8 | Brown Booby | Sula leucogaster/R |
| 9 | Neotropic Cormorant | Phalacrocorax brasilianus/R |
| 10 | Anhinga | Anhinga anhinga/R |
| 11 | Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis/R |
| 12 | Bare-throated Tiger-Heron | Tigrisoma mexicanum/R |
| 13 | Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias/M |
| 14 | Great Egret | Ardea alba/R,M |
| 15 | Snowy Egret | Egretta thula/R,M |
| 16 | Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea/R,M |
| 17 | Tricolored Heron | Egretta tricolor/R,M |
| 18 | Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis/R,M |
| 19 | Green Heron | Butorides virescens/R,M |
| 20 | White Ibis | Eudocimus albus/R |
| 21 | Roseate Spoonbill | Platalea ajaja/R |
| 22 | Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus/R |
| 23 | Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura/R,M |
| 24 | Osprey | Pandion haliaetus/M |
| 25 | White-tailed Kite | Elanus leucurus/R |
| 26 | Common Black-Hawk | Buteogallus anthracinus/R |
| 27 | Roadside Hawk | Buteo magnirostris/R |
| 28 | Broad-winged Hawk | Buteo platypterus/M |
| 29 | Gray Hawk | Buteo plagiatus/R |
| 30 | Crane Hawk | Gerasnospiza caerulescens |
| 31 | Short-tailed Hawk | Buteo brachyurus/R,M |
| 32 | Bat Falcon | Falco rufigularis |
| 33 | Gray-necked Wood-Rail | Aramides cajaneus/R |
| 34 | Double-striped Thick-Knee | Burhinus bistriatus/R |
| 35 | Northern Jacana | Jacana spinosa/R |
| 36 | Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularius/M |
| 37 | Willet | Tringa semipalmata/M |
| 38 | Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus/M |
| 39 | Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres/M |
| 40 | Black Noddy | Anous minutus/R |
| 41 | Royal Tern | Thalasseus maximus/M |
| 42 | Red-billed Pigeon | Patagioenas flavirostris/R |
| 43 | White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica/R,M |
| 44 | Inca Dove | Columbina inca/R |
| 45 | Common Ground Dove | Columbina paserina |
| 46 | Ruddy Ground-Dove | Columbina talpacoti/R |
| 47 | White-tipped Dove | Leptotila verreauxi/R |
| 48 | Squirrel Cuckoo | Piaya cayana/R |
| 49 | Mangrove Cuckoo | Coccyzus minor/R?,M |
| 50 | Striped Cuckoo | Tapera naevia/R |
| 51 | Lesser Ground-Cuckoo | Morococcyx erythropygus/R |
| 52 | Groove-billed Ani | Crotophaga sulcirostris/R |
| 53 | Pacific Screech-Owl | Megascops cooperi/R |
| 54 | Barn-Owl | Tyto alba/R |
| 55 | Spectacled Owl | Pulsatrix perspicillata/R |
| 56 | Common Pauraque | Nyctidromus albicollis/R |
| 57 | White-collared Swift | Streptoprocne zonaris/R |
| 58 | Stripe-throated Hermit | Phaethornis striigularis/R |
| 59 | Green-breasted Mango | Anthracothorax prevostii/R |
| 60 | Plain-capped Starthroat | Heliomaster constantii/R |
| 61 | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Archilochus colubris/M |
| 62 | Canivet’s Emerald | Chlorostilbon canivetii/R |
| 63 | Scaly-breasted Hummingbird | Phaeochroa cuvierii/R |
| 64 | Steely-vented Hummingbird | Amazilia saucerrottei/R |
| 65 | Rufous-tailed Hummingbird | Amazilia tzacatl/R |
| 66 | Cinnamon Hummingbird | Amazilia rutila/R |
| 67 | Blue-throated Goldentail | Hylocharis eliciae/R |
| 68 | Black-headed Trogon | Trogon melanocephalus/R |
| 69 | Gartered Trogon | Trogon caligatus/R |
| 70 | Elegant Trogon | Trogon elegans/R |
| 71 | Blue-crowned Motmot | Momotus momota/R |
| 72 | Turquoise-browed Motmot | Eumomota superciliosa/R |
| 73 | Ringed Kingfisher | Megaceryle torquatus/R |
| 74 | Green Kingfisher | Chloroceryle americana/R |
| 75 | White-necked Puffbird | Notharchus hyperrhynchus/R |
| 76 | Collared Aracari | Pteroglossus torquatus/R |
| 77 | Hoffmann’s Woodpecker | Melanerpes hoffmannii/R |
| 78 | Lineated Woodpecker | Dryocopus lineatus/R |
| 79 | Pale-billed Woodpecker | Campephilus guatemalensis/R |
| 80 | Crested Caracara | Caracara cheriway/R |
| 81 | Yellow-headed Caracara | Milvago chimachima/R |
| 82 | Laughing Falcon | Herpetotheres cachinnans/R |
| 83 | Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus/M |
| 84 | Orange-fronted Parakeet | Aratinga canicularis/R |
| 85 | Orange-chinned Parakeet | Brotogeris jugularis/R |
| 86 | White-fronted Parrot | Amazona albifrons/R |
| 87 | Crimson fronted Parakeet | Psittacara finschi |
| 88 | Red-lored Parrot | Amazona autumnalis/R |
| 89 | Yellow-naped Parrot | Amazona auropalliata/R |
| 90 | Barred Antshrike | Thamnophilus doliatus/R |
| 91 | Olivaceous Woodcreeper | Sittasomus griseicapillus/R |
| 92 | Ruddy Woodcreeper | Dendrocincla homochroa/R |
| 93 | Northern-barred Woodcreeper | Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae/R |
| 94 | Ivory-billed Woodcreeper | Xiphorhynchus flavigaster/R |
| 95 | Streak-headed Woodcreeper | Lepidocolaptes souleyetii/R |
| 96 | Nutting’s Flycatcher | Myiarchus nuttingi/R |
| 97 | Great Kiskadee | Pitangus sulphuratus/R |
| 98 | Social Flycatcher | Myiozetetes similis/R |
| 99 | Streaked Flycatcher | Myiodynastes maculatus/R,RR,M |
| 100 | Tropical Kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus/R |
| 101 | Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus/M |
| 102 | Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | Tyrannus forficatus/M |
| 103 | Masked Tityra | Tityra semifasciata/R |
| 104 | Rose-throated Becard | Pachyramphus aglaiae/R |
| 105 | Three-wattled Bellbird | Procnias tricarunculatus/R-END |
| 106 | Long-tailed Manakin | Chiroxiphia linearis/R |
| 107 | Yellow-throated Vireo | Vireo flavifrons/M |
| 108 | Red-eyed Vireo | Vireo olivaceus/M |
| 109 | Lesser Greenlet | Hylophilus decurtatus/R |
| 110 | White-throated Magpie-Jay | Calocitta formosa/R |
| 111 | Brown-chested Martin | Progne tapera/M |
| 112 | Blue-and-white Swallow | Pygochelidon cyanoleuca/R,M |
| 113 | Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis/R,M |
| 114 | House Wren | Troglodytes aedon/R |
| 115 | Rufous-naped Wren | Campylorhynchus rufinucha/R |
| 116 | Banded Wren | Thryophilus pleurostictus/R |
| 117 | Plain Wren | Cantorchilus modestus/R |
| 118 | White-lored Gnatcatcher | Polioptila albiloris/R |
| 119 | Clay-colored Thrush | Turdus grayi/R |
| 120 | Northern Waterthrush | Parkesia noveboracensis/M |
| 121 | Black-and-white Warbler | Mniotilta varia/M |
| 122 | Tennessee Warbler | Oreothlypis peregrina/M |
| 123 | Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas/M |
| 124 | Yellow Warbler | Setophaga petechia/R,M |
| 125 | Buff-rumped Warbler | Myiothlypis fulvicauda/R |
| 126 | Gray-headed Tanager | Eucometis penicillata/R |
| 127 | Blue-gray Tanager | Thraupis episcopus/R |
| 128 | Palm Tanager | Thraupis palmarum/R |
| 129 | Red-legged Honeycreeper | Cyanerpes cyaneus/R |
| 130 | White-collared Seedeater | Sporophila torqueola/R |
| 131 | Olive Sparrow | Arremonops rufivirgatus/R |
| 132 | Stripe-headed Sparrow | Peucaea ruficauda/R |
| 133 | Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra/M |
| 134 | Blue Grosbeak | Passerina caerulea/R,M |
| 135 | Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus/R |
| 136 | Bronzed Cowbird | Molothrus aeneus/R |
| 137 | Streak-backed Oriole | Icterus pustulatus/R |
| 138 | Baltimore Oriole | Icterus galbula/M |
| 139 | Yellow-throated Euphonia | Euphonia hirundinacea/R |
| 140 | Scrub Euphonia | Euphonia affinis |
| 141 | Melodious Blackbird |
Dives dives/R |
Pack your binoculars and get ready to discover the very best of birding Nicoya Penisula, one of the blue zones of the world and one of the Costa Rica’s Birding Hotspots.
Photo Credits: Jessy Lopez.