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Rufous-crested Coquette in Rancho Naturalista

110 years after the last record the elusive hummingbird is back and we were there to see it!

A very special bird reported last Nov in Rancho Naturalista made many birders flock to Rancho Naturalista in Turrialba. It was very rare in Costa Rica, Rufous-crested Coquette (Lophornis delattrei), not reported in the country for more than 110 years. This very special bird was photographed on Nov 30 by Beltrán Lara & Ludovico de Vega in the gardens of the lodge. The hummingbird stay in the are for the upcoming days, so many photographers and birders were able to get to see it and be amazed by this little holy grial in the Costa Rican ornithology.

Before of this new record, there were known only 4 specimens collected in Costa Rica, that are now parte of foreigner collections:

  • 18-oct-1892 San José. By Geo. K. Cherrie. Skin of a male preserved by American Museum of Natural History, USA.  Skin-177189
  • Oct. 1900 San Pedro, San José. by Underwood, C. F. Skin of a juvenil male preserved by the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, USA. 116922
  • Oct. 1906 San Pedro, San José.  By Underwood, C. F. Skin of a male preserved by the  Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, USA.  118310
  • Oct. 1906 San Pedro, San José. By Underwood, C. F. Skin of a male preserved at the  Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, USA.  118311

In Rancho Naturalista it is also possible to find the Black-crested Coquette, and the White-crested Coquette, so this means all the coquettes in the Birds List to Costa Rica, happens in this amazing lodge, plus the popular Snowcap and many other species of hummingbirds.

Rancho Naturalista is a birds haven, more than 450 species of birds have been recorded in the private forest reserve and within the local area. This is one of the legendary birding lodges of Costa Rica.  Visit Rancho Naturalista and feel in love with the birdlife of the Caribbean Foothills in the Turrialba Birding Hotspot.

Photo credits: Edgar Méndez.