Costa Rica Escape Part II: Caribbean Foothills and Wetlands
A nine-day Costa Rica birding journey through Arenal, northern border wetlands and Tenorio foothill forest, with boat excursions and targets such as Three-wattled Bellbird and Tody Motmot.
About this tour
Explore Costa Rica's Caribbean foothills and northern wetlands on a route centred on Arenal, Cano Negro and the Tenorio Volcano area. Forest trails, hanging bridges, lodge gardens and feeder stations provide access to canopy birds, ant-followers, hummingbirds and regional specialities.
Two boat excursions cover Medio Queso and Cano Negro for Nicaraguan Seed Finch, Nicaraguan Grackle, bitterns, Sungrebe and other aquatic birds. On land, the programme searches for Three-wattled Bellbird, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Tody Motmot and a broad supporting cast of tanagers, parrots and forest birds.
The scheduled Birding Ecotours programme includes accommodation, meals, road and river transport, guides, entry fees, airport transfers and drinking water in the field. Daily plans remain flexible around weather and bird activity.
Planning a wider trip? Read our birdwatching guide to Costa Rica.
Birds you can spot
Agamia agami
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Chloroceryle aenea
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Eudocimus albus
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Setophaga aestiva
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Anhinga anhinga
target
Icterus galbula
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Hypocnemoides maculicauda
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Gymnocichla nudiceps
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Rhegmatorhina gymnops
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Tigrisoma mexicanum
target
Thamnophilus doliatus
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Nystalus radiatus
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Falco rufigularis
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Macheiramphus alcinus
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Cantorchilus nigricapillus
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Gymnopithys bicolor
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Astur bicolor
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Psarocolius guatimozinus
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Sayornis nigricans
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Strix nigrolineata
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Melanerpes pucherani
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Peucaea humeralis
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Busarellus nigricollis
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Lophornis helenae
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Odontophorus melanotis
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Formicarius analis
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Catharus mexicanus
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Saltator atriceps
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Trogon melanocephalus
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Himantopus mexicanus
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Setophaga fusca
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Riccordia bicolor
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Aulacorhynchus caeruleogularis
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Aulacorhynchus wagleri
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Spatula discors
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Megarynchus pitangua
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Cochlearius cochlearius
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Pityriasis gymnocephala
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Attila spadiceus
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Electron platyrhynchum
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Buteo platypterus
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Pelecanus occidentalis
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Colibri delphinae
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Myiarchus tyrannulus
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Pyrilia haematotis
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Saltator maximus
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Psarocolius wagleri
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Pachyramphus rufus
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Pachyramphus cinnamomeus
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Amazilia rutila
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Pteroglossus torquatus
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Piaya cayana
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Galbula pastazae
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Microchera cupreiceps
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Penelope purpurascens
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Lophostrix cristata
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Periporphyrus celaeno
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Melopyrrha nigra
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Hylophylax punctulatus
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Hesperoburhinus bistriatus
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Myiarchus tuberculifer
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Myiozetetes luteiventris
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Cyanolyca nanus
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Cymbilaimus lineatus
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Tigrisoma fasciatum
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Campylorhynchus fasciatus
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Glaucidium brasilianum
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Ramphotrigon flammulatum
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Zonerodius heliosylus
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Tyrannus savana
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Trogon caligatus
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Cacicus microrhynchus
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Molothrus oryzivorus
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Carterornis chrysomela
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Colaptes rubiginosus
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Masius chrysopterus
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Vermivora chrysoptera
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Crax rubra
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Pitangus sulphuratus
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Nyctibius grandis
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Pterophanes cyanopterus
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Quiscalus mexicanus
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Quiscalus niger
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Butorides virescens
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Chlorophanes spiza
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Mesembrinibis cayennensis
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Vireolanius pulchellus
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Discosura conversii
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Anthracothorax prevostii
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Heliodoxa jacula
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Ramosomyia viridifrons
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Myiopagis viridicata
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Phyllomyias virescens
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Cantorchilus griseus
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Myiozetetes granadensis
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Leptotila cassinii
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Ortalis cinereiceps
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Crotophaga sulcirostris
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Trogon violaceus
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Jabiru mycteria
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Electron carinatum
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Ramphastos sulfuratus
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Sarcoramphus papa
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Machaeropterus regulus
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Herpetotheres cachinnans
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Tachybaptus dominicus
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Morococcyx erythropygus
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Cathartes burrovianus
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Aramus guarauna
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Dryocopus lineatus
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Egretta caerulea
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Aramides mangle
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Chiroxiphia linearis
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Fregata magnificens
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Setophaga petechia
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Pseudastur polionotus
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Tityra semifasciata
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Formicarius moniliger
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Psarocolius montezuma
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Cairina moschata
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Quiscalus nicaraguensis
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Trogon tenellus
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Jacana spinosa
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Troglodytes ochraceus
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Mionectes oleagineus
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Kempiella flavovirescens
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Pachyglossa olivacea
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Mitrospingus oleagineus
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Eupsittula nana
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Catharus aurantiirostris
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Arremon aurantiirostris
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Brotogeris jugularis
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Anarhynchus veredus
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Linurgus olivaceus
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Spizaetus ornatus
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Saudareos ornata
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Myiopagis subplacens
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Phaethornis anthophilus
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Brachygalba goeringi
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Thaumastura cora
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Vireo philadelphicus
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Notharchus tectus
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Podilymbus podiceps
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Heliodoxa gularis
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Botaurus pinnatus
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Semnornis frantzii
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Psittacara maugei
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Porphyrio martinica
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Heliothryx barroti
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Rufirallus leucopyrrhus
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Chlorostilbon gibsoni
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Hylexetastes perrotii
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Cyanerpes cyaneus
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Amazona autumnalis
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Myrmotherula sunensis
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Rupornis magnirostris
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Myrmelastes saturatus
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Platalea ajaja
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Thalasseus maximus
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Rhytipterna holerythra
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Campylorhynchus capistratus
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Pheugopedius rutilus
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Zonotrichia capensis
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Creurgops verticalis
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Chaetocercus jourdanii
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Ramphotrigon ruficauda
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Myiarchus validus
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Amazilia tzacatl
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Galbula ruficauda
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Histurgops ruficauda
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Neomorphus geoffroyi
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Heliodoxa branickii
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Cnemarchus rufipennis
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Atlapetes nationi
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Lophotriccus pileatus
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Ramphocelus passerinii
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Dacnis venusta
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Tyrannus forficatus
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Malacoptila semicincta
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Sclateria naevia
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Myrmotherula luctuosa
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Poecilotriccus sylvia
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Trogon massena
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Neophilydor fuscipenne
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Egretta thula
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Myiarchus phaeocephalus
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Porzana carolina
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Pogonotriccus eximius
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Laniocera rufescens
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Callacanthis burtoni
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Hylophylax naevius
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Icterus pectoralis
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Hylophylax naevioides
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Laniellus albonotatus
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Ixonotus guttatus
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Icterus pustulatus
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Lepidocolaptes souleyetii
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Cantorchilus thoracicus
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Platyrinchus cancrominus
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Myiodynastes luteiventris
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Tyrannopsis sulphurea
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Eurypyga helias
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Tersina viridis
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Elanoides forficatus
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Myiobius villosus
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Myioborus castaneocapilla
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Procnias tricarunculatus
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Pseudocolopteryx citreola
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Egretta tricolor
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Momotus bahamensis
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Tyrannus melancholicus
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Setophaga pitiayumi
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Eumomota superciliosa
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Ficedula superciliaris
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Scotopelia bouvieri
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Atlapetes terborghi
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Chlorostilbon melanorhynchus
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Pseudastur albicollis
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Manacus candei
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Pionus senilis
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Myrmotherula axillaris
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Lepidothrix serena
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Monasa morphoeus
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Polioptila albiloris
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Ornithion inerme
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Corapipo altera
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Xipholena lamellipennis
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Cyanocorax mystacalis
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Laterallus albigularis
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Turdus assimilis
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Pachyramphus polychopterus
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Lanio versicolor
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Xenoligea montana
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Cercomacroides laeta
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Mycteria americana
target
Hylocichla mustelina
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Capsiempis flaveola
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Elaenia flavogaster
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Sphyrapicus varius
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Laterallus flaviventer
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Selenidera spectabilis
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Vireo flavoviridis
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Atlapetes tibialis
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Euphonia hirundinacea
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Buteo albonotatus
target
Itinerary ▼
Meet the leader at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Garden birding is possible when arrival time allows, with woodpeckers, parakeets, hummingbirds and perhaps a roosting owl.
Search the San Ramon forests for lekking Three-wattled Bellbird, then visit Bogarin Reserve for manakins, owls and other lowland wildlife. Continue to the Arenal Volcano area for a four-night stay.
Begin at lodge feeders for guans, chachalacas, curassows and tanagers, then use trails and hanging bridges in the Sky Adventure Park. Canopy and forest targets may include toucanets, antbirds, woodcreepers and hummingbirds.
Spend a full day on forest trails and in lodge gardens. The guide will watch for army-ant activity and associated birds while also searching for coquettes, tyrants, honeycreepers and other foothill species.
Leave Arenal for a boat trip on Medio Queso near the Nicaraguan border. Nicaraguan Seed Finch, Nicaraguan Grackle, bitterns and a wide range of marsh birds are priorities before continuing to Cano Negro.
Explore Cano Negro by boat for Sungrebe, Jabiru, Boat-billed Heron, kingfishers and secretive wetland birds. Travel afterward to the Tenorio Volcano area.
Bird lodge grounds and nearby forest for Tody Motmot, Long-tailed Manakin, antbirds, woodcreepers and hummingbirds. Evening activity may produce owls, while Snowcap and Yellow-eared Toucanet are further possibilities.
Use the morning for remaining foothill priorities, then return to San Jose. The final hotel gardens can provide a few last sightings before the group dinner.
Leave the San Jose hotel for the international terminal in time to check in for the journey home; the airline ticket is arranged separately.
Locations & map
- San José - Costa Rica
Availability & pricing
Included
- Accommodation
- Ground transport
- Boat transport
- Meals from dinner on day 1 through breakfast on day 9
- Tour leader and local guides
- Admission fees
- Airport transfers
- Drinking water in the field
Not included
- Flights
- Medical and trip-cancellation insurance
- Personal expenses and alcoholic drinks
- Gratuities
- Activities not described in the itinerary
- Early check-in and late check-out
Reviews
"We had never been on a birding tour before, and found this to be a wonderful introduction. Jacob was excellent, accommodating and knowledgeable, and we saw an unbelievable number of new birds. There was a nice mix of trail-walking, roadside birding, and boat rides, with a few more relaxed feeder-watching sessions thrown in. The accommodations and food were both good, and we were pleased with the way our guides always made a special effort to take the varying needs of group members into consideration. They always worked very hard to be sure every person saw every bird. I would highly recommend this tour!"