August 1997
by Garry George & Joseph Brooks
Resources:
- Stiles & Skutch, A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica
- Notes from Martin Reid (upupa@onramp.net), formerly of Clockwork Travel
- Cassette tape of bird songs & calls recorded by Martin Reid
I flew into San Jose, Costa Rica on American Airlines from Los Angeles (around $680 round trip) and Joseph picked me up at the airport. Because of our schedules, he birded three days at Carara, which I would do at the end after he returned to Los Angeles. We had a driver provided by Costa Rica Gateway (1-800-593-3305, about $125/day for the package including accomodations, meals, transport and guide) through whom we had booked the three destinations because the owners of Costa Rica Gateway own two of the properties. Our ride up the mountain to Cabinas Chacones in the highlands of the Central Valley near Cerro del Muerte through dense fog at high speeds kept my jet lag at bay with rushes of adrenaline. I don't know how the locals pass huge trucks in dense fog but they do. We finally arrived around 10 pm and fell asleep.
Cabinas Chacones
My first bird in Costa Rica was the male Resplendent Quetzal in the tree behind the cabin. We saw six more over the two days, one with long tail coverings which I assume is breeding display plumage. The fruit tree near the cabins yielded Clay-colored robins, Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrushes, and Mou ntain Robins, and we found aYellow-bellied siskin and Blue-hooded Euphonia high up in the trees. The bushes in front of the dining hall gave us Scintill ant Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, White-throated Mountain-Gem, Green Violet-ear, a Slaty Fowerpiercer and a pair of Long-tailed Silky-Flycatchers. We found a Large-footed Finch near the cabins. We met our "guide," Malbeen, who turned out not to be a very good birder but we enjoyed his company as well as teaching him the birds. The guide we were told we would have was suddenly unavailable. This is a constant problem in Central and South America, with companies employing what I call the "bait and switch" technique. Birders beware of promises of guides. Try to get it in writing.
We had a tape from Martin Reid and our guides never had tapes. We were very glad we brought it and would not have seen as many birds without it. Drives up the road to the Pan American Hwy revealed Torrent Tyrannulet, Yellow-thighed Finches, Black-capped Flycatcher, Collared Redstart, Dark Pewee, Sooty Robin. Walking on the road from the Highway to Paraiso we were lucky enough to call in an Ochraceous Pewee which we were surprised to find considering how rare they are. We found the location for Zeledonia recommended by Martin but had no luck. We went to the highest altitude on Cerro del Muerte in the paramo habitat for Timberline Wren and Volcano Junco, and on the way spent some time with a Fiery-throated Hummingbird that left us speechless, especially when the male Resplendent Quetzal in full plumage flew in next to it. We birded our way back down and found some new warblers - Flam e-throated, Black-cheeked and Collared Redstart. We gave the Zeledonia anothe r try in the morning but no luck.
We left Chacones the next morning and stopped at a small patch of forest called Junior Symphonic Orchestra Ecological Reserve (2000 meters altitude on the road between Cabinas and Cartago) and had a feeding flock of Yellowish Flycatcher, Black-cheeked Warbler, Spotted Barbtail, Red-faced Spinetail, Flame throated Warbler, Slate-throated and Collared Redstart, Yellow-thighed Finches, Red-faced Spinetails and Brown-capped and Yellow-winged Vireos. We also found a skeleton of a coyote preserved perfectly on the trail, and we left it there. Malbean pulled into the MacDonald's in Cartago to meet the driver from Rancho Naturalista, our next destination, and we hopped out of the vehicle to look for the Crimson-fronted Parakeets we had heard hang out in the area, sometimes pushing each other down and off of the golden arches. We found them in a large tree nearby and watched them fly noisily away to another part of the city. We hopped into Mario's car for the drive to Rancho Naturalista in the Central Valley near Turrialba.
Rancho Naturalista, Tapanti and Braulio-Carrillo
Owned by American in exile John Erb, a civil engineer, Rancho Naturalista is located on 120 acres (75% in Premontane Rainforest) east of the town of Turrialba in the foothills of the Talamanca Mountains. There's a main lodge and additional cottages, and hummingbird and fruit feeders adorn the area around the main lodge. The list at Rancho Naturalista contains 420 species although many are single sightings over many years. John Erb is not a birder and just happened to end up with a property later discovered by birders, but his daughter Lisa is an avid and skilled birder and ably manages the lodge. The resident bird guide Jay Van Der Gaast is highly rated by Martin and others who have been there.
When we arrived we found that Jay had been called off suddenly on another private tour. Big surprise. We had grown used to the switching of guides and asked for Mario Olmos, whom we heard was a decent guide and local ornithologist. Mario had just gotten out of the hospital but efforts were made to find him and we were promised that he would show up in a day or two. It was fine with us, since we were meeting our friends Michael and Alison Olivieri from Connecticut (Alison is Director of Development for Connecticut Audubon) and they were accompanied by their friend Carlos Gomez, probably the most well-respected guide in Costa Rica, and since we were going to spend a few days together we weren't too worried.
We immediately went to the famous hummingbird pools down the trail to meet them. It was the end of the day and we sat in amazement at the different species of hummingbirds that came to the pools to bathe by hovering, plopping briefly into the water, looking around, plopping again, then flying off or perching nearby to preen. Little hermits plopped and disappeared, mere blips. Green violet-ears plopped, hovered, plopped again, then perched and preened. Snowcaps plopped, plopped and plopped again. Purple-crowned Fairys hovered and plopped. Three Dull-Mantled Antbirds appeared out of the foliage and jumped in from the side. All in plain view as we sat above the pools.
One of the truly remarkable birding experiences of my life. We went to the pools every day that we were there. After dinner, we planned our next days trip to see 500 acres of forest near the Tuis River Valley bordering the lower altitudes of Tapanti that are for sale, and that we were all considering purchasing as a group. After the long drive, when we began to enter the property we discovered a Black-chested Hawk (Barred Hawk) circling over the property. We took it as a sign. In the orchards on the way into the property we saw Crimson-collared Tanager and Black-cowled Oriole and just in the property we were called in by an Immaculate Antbird.
As we left the property we found a feeding flock of Spangle-cheeked, Emerald, White-lined and Black and Yellow Tanagers, Green Honeycreepers, Blue Dacnis and a White-vented Euphonia. We found a Black-faced Grosbeak which has been split from the Yellow-green Grosbeak which we had seen on Cerro de Pirre in Panama a few months earlier. We drove back to Rancho for another amazing dinner and decided to raise the money as a non-profit corporation or a foundation with Americans and Costa Ricans on the board to buy the property, save it from development, study it for the birds there and then decide what to do with it.
Possibilities such as a Rainforest Program for children from Central and North America were tossed around, and we tabled further discussion until we returned to the States. Michael, Alison and Carlos left to look for houses in the San Jose area and Joseph, Lisa, Mario (the guide had arrived) and I left early for Tapanti to try for the high altitude species we had missed at Chacones. As we drove and walked up the road at Tapanti Biological Reserve (south of the town of Orosi) we feasted on a pair of Prong-billed Barbets calling and visible in the morning mist, Buffy Tuftedcheek which we had tried so hard for at Chacones, Black and Yellow Silky-Flycatchers, Black-faced Solitaire singing, good looks at Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Ash-throated, Common and Sooty-capped Bush-Tanagers, Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Tawny-capped Euphonia and an ecstatic twenty minutes with a foraging pair of G olden-browed Chlorophonias, a highlight of the trip.
We stopped in the rain on the way down and heard Zeledonia almost everywhere. Our tape was too faint, however, and we couldn't coax any of them out of their hiding spots although our Silvery-fronted Tapaculo tape worked just fine and we were rewarded with good looks at an excited pair. We hiked along the riverbank finding a White-fronted (formerly Zeledon's) Tyrannulet and a Slaty-capped Flycatcher. Mario kept identifying rare birds such as Rufous-winged Tanager and Zeledonia that would fly just out of sight so that we began to doubt his sightings. As we left the Reserve, Lisa found us a Sooty-faced Finch eating a worm deep in the bushes. We stopped at Kiri Camp on the way out and found B lack-bellied and Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds on the verbena bushes and a Violet Sabrewing buzzed the hibiscus. We were dismayed to see a White-fronted Parakeet in a cage at one of the cabins of what is supposed to be a birding destination.
The next day we spent at the lodge enjoying the feeders and the verbena bushes in the morning where we saw a female Black-crested Coquette and many hummers, Little Tinamou, Rufous Motmot and Scarlet Rumped a.k.a. Passerine's Tanager. We hiked through the trails on the property accompanied by the song of the Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, which we saw well, and spent twenty minutes watching a N. Nightingale Wren (formerly Whistling Wren) singing to our tape. In the forest we found Thrushlike Shifornis, White-collared Manakin and Streak-headed Woodcreeper. On the edges we found Gr ay-headed Chachalaca, Keel-billed Toucan and Lineated Woodpecker. We went to a Rufous-bellied Nighthawk roost where they had been seen for over a week but they had moved on.
The next day we drove to the Butterfly Garden at Reserva El Tapir on the Highway between Braulio-Carrillo and Guapiles just South and West of the Aerial Tram over Braulio Carrillo, which is still too dangerous to bird according to our sources. Too many armed robberies even now. This location is safer and we were targeting the Lattice-tailed Trogon, which is there, so off we went. Not 200 meters into the trail Mario begins screaming "the monklet" and waving his arMs. A Lanceolated Monklet was just to the right of the trail, eye-level, motionless until Mario screamed. It had flown up about fourteen feet but still easily visible and we watched it until we grew tired. We hadn't even considered seeing this bird it is so rare. Elated, we birded on until we came to a flock of thirteen species of Tanagers and Bush-tanagers with accompanying Dacnis and Honeycreepers that we picked through for something unusual, like the Rufous-browed Peppershrike we enjoyed. We hiked up a river and surprised a Fasciated Tiger-Heron feeding and blending in amongst the rocks. Although we never found the Lattice-taile d Trogon, we certainly couldn't complain.
As we returned to the parking lot a Bronze-tailed Plumeteer perched for us, showing us his red feet. On the way back I finally saw my life Short-billed Pigeon and we spent time trying to sort out the Tropical Pewee from the Eastern Pewee. Mario told us that the Tropical Pewee always flies up, lands, bobs it's tail then sings and he uses this as his identification. Lisa drove us home in the rain in her old Bronco for another delicious meal. John Erb arrived that evening to drive us to his home for a night before Joseph's transfer to San Jose airport and my transfer to Tarcol Lodge on the Tarcoles River mouth on the Pacific Coast near Gulf of Nicoya.
On the way we stopped at the property of a woman named Carmen Castro in Paraiso in the middle of the Central Valley. We didn't see the Prevost's Sparrow but did see a White-eared Ground Sparrow and I got my life Northern Jacana and Gray-crowned Yellowthroat. Joseph told me it was the most common bird in Tarcol where I was headed. As birds will do, I didn't see one in Tarcol and was glad we had made this stop. We spent the night at John and his wife Kathy's house in Monte Del Cruz above Herredia outside of San Jose. Before dinner I hiked up the hill and found a Yellow-thr oated Brush-finch. At dinner, we met Tony, the guide for Tarcol and his girlfriend Barbara from Germany whom Joseph had already spent four days with and really liked. John wanted to show us his hyperbaric chamber and discuss his Christian based theories of the approaching Armageddon as divined from codes derived from the Bible, or discuss selling Rancho Naturalista to me, or his system of excercise, but Joseph and I were tired and went to sleep. We arose at 5, headed to the airport, dropped off Joseph and Tony, Barbara and I headed for Tarcol Lodge on the Pacific Ocean.
Tarcol Lodge
We stopped at the bridge over the river Tarcoles near Carara and watched Mangr ove Swallows and a Laughing Falcon. We slowed down when we hit the mangrove scrub habitat near the ocean and hopped out of the van. We found a male Mangro ve Hummingbird but little else. After we arrived at Tarcol, a very basic accommodation in a great location. We put on our rubber boots and headed for the mangrove swamp where we found a flock of Mangrove Vireo, Scrub Flycatcher, Scrub Euphonia. That took care of the Scrub specialties except for the Scrub Greenlet. We couldn't find it.
That night we awoke around 2 a.m. to the sound of a Pacific Screech-Owl and ran outside. It had perched in a tree just outside the door and we got great looks with a flashlight. In the morning we drove to Carara and walked the main road. We found a Bare-thro ated Tiger-Heron flying into a tree with the fish it had caught, extending its throat to swallow, and then walking to the end of the branch for a nap. We called and found a Baird's Trogon and Hoffman's Woodpecker.Chestnut-backed Antbirds were plentiful and friendly, and we called the near-endemic Black-hooded Antshrike that came right in. We heard Spectacled Antpitta but I had just spent quality time with one in Panama so didn't feel the urge to spend the long time calling and waiting for another one.
We went to the Yellow-billed Cotinga spot where Joseph had seen three but the fruit was gone and so were they. We saw a Blue-crowned Mannakin, and spent time separating flycatchers. Later in the day Tony and I drove up to the waterfalls where we were treated to a pair of Fiery-billed Aracaris teaching a fledging to fly, as well as good looks at a Blue-throated Goldentail perched and singing. We returned to the Lodge for the beautiful sunset and to watch the shorebirds move into the mudflats as the tide receded. Wilson's Plovers combed the mud and I got a life bird. A Mangrove Black-hawk circled above the mangroves. Black, Sandwich and Royal terns gathered on the sandbar. Yellow-naped Parrots flew over the lodge and across the river to roost. And the Whimbrels came in, calling at night and early in the morning. I loved this spot and spent many hours here in the morning, at lunch, and at the end of the day, listening and watching. Roseate Spoonbills flew in one afternoon. I watched a Green Heron hunt the pools. White-throated Magpie-Jays screeched at each other in the mangroves behind the hammock where I lay with my binoculars and field guide.
One day a large Osprey hovered over the distant riverbank, getting me excited that it might be an eagle. I took a walk by myself and had a Crane Hawk fly into a tree just above me so I could study it's orange legs and red eyes and every evening flocks of Scarlet Macaws flew to their roosts. Sometimes they draped themselves in the trees looking more like flags than birds. We counted forty in a noisy flock one evening. They breed here. What an amazing place on the planet to watch birds. One day we went back to Carara and the loop trail and the new trail next to the river. We found a Lon g-tailed Hermit lek, it wasn't very hard just follow the noise, and I got a brief glimpse of a Royal Flycatcher with its crest down. I got my first good look at a Geotrygon when a Ruddy Quail-Dove strolled calmly down the trail while we stayed motionless. We spotted a Golden-naped Woodpecker high in the trees and Barbara found a Violet Sabrewing nest over the river that surely was a record since they are supposed to be at a much higher altitude. Tony called his friends at Monteverde to come photograph and document the sighting. We were lucky to find both Stub-tailed and Golden-crowned Spadebills. Unfortunately, the van broke down in parking lot and we couldn't go to the Long-tailed Mannikin location but consoled ourselves back at the lodge with the whimbrels and spoonbills.
The next morning, my last, I headed back into the mangroves and finally got the Scrub Greenlet and watched a Turqu oise-browed Motmot perched in the driveway. What a combination of lime green and turquoise! I studied Tony's orchid collection before we left for the airport and the end of my first trip to Costa Rica but not my last.
Trip List:
* is lifer
| COMMON NAME | SCIENTIFIC NAME |
| Great Tinamou | Tinamus major |
| Little Tinamou | Crypturellus soui |
| Least Grebe | Tachybaptus dominicus |
| Magnificent Frigatebird | Fregata magnificens |
| Neotropic Cormorant | Phalacrocorax brasilianus |
| Anhinga | Anhinga anhinga |
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis |
| Black-bellied Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis |
| Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis |
| Striated Heron | Butorides striatus |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Nyctanassa violacea |
| Boat-billed Heron | Cochlearius cochlearius |
| * Bare-throated Tiger-Heron | Tigrisoma mexicanum |
| * Fasciated Tiger-Heron | Tigrisoma fasciatum |
| White Ibis | Eudocimus albus |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Ajaia ajaja |
| Wood Stork | Mycteria americana |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus |
| Swallow-tailed Kite | Elanoides forficatus |
| White-tailed Kite | Elanus leucurus |
| Crane Hawk | Geranospiza caerulescens |
| * Barred Hawk | Leucopternis princeps |
| * Mangrove Black-Hawk | Buteogallus subtilis |
| Great Black-Hawk | Buteogallus urubitinga |
| Gray Hawk | Asturina plagiata |
| Short-tailed Hawk | Buteo brachyurus |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis |
| Crested Caracara | Caracara plancus |
| Yellow-headed Caracara | Milvago chimachima |
| Laughing Falcon | Herpetotheres cachinnans |
| Gray-headed Chachalaca | Ortalis cinereiceps |
| Crested Guan | Penelope purpurascens |
| Purple Gallinule | Porphyrio martinicus |
| * Northern Jacana | Jacana spinosa |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Tringa macularia |
| Willet | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus griseus |
| Western Sandpiper | Calidris mauri |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla |
| Semipalmated Plover | Charadrius semipalmatus |
| * Wilson's Plover | Charadrius wilsonia |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger |
| Royal Tern | Sterna maxima |
| Sandwich Tern | Sterna sandvicensis |
| Band-tailed Pigeon | Columba fasciata |
| Red-billed Pigeon | Columba flavirostris |
| Ruddy Pigeon | Columba subvinacea |
| * Short-billed Pigeon | Columba nigrirostris |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica |
| Inca Dove | Columbina inca |
| Common Ground-Dove | Columbina passerina |
| Ruddy Ground-Dove | Columbina talpacoti |
| White-tipped Dove | Leptotila verreauxi |
| Gray-chested Dove | Leptotila cassini |
| * Ruddy Quail-Dove | Geotrygon montana |
| Scarlet Macaw | Ara macao |
| * Crimson-fronted Parakeet | Aratinga finschi |
| Orange-fronted Parakeet | Aratinga canicularis |
| Brown-hooded Parrot | Pionopsitta haematotis |
| * White-crowned Parrot | Pionus senilis |
| Red-lored Parrot | Amazona autumnalis |
| * Yellow-naped Parrot | Amazona auropalliata |
| Mealy Parrot | Amazona farinosa |
| Squirrel Cuckoo | Piaya cayana |
| Groove-billed Ani | Crotophaga sulcirostris |
| Striped Cuckoo | Tapera naevia |
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba |
| * Pacific Screech-Owl | Otus cooperi |
| Lesser Nighthawk | Chordeiles acutipennis |
| Pauraque | Nyctidromus albicollis |
| White-collared Swift | Streptoprocne zonaris |
| Band-rumped Swift | Chaetura spinicauda |
| Vaux's Swift | Chaetura vauxi |
| * Bronzy Hermit | Glaucis aenea |
| Green Hermit | Phaethornis guy |
| Long-tailed Hermit | Phaethornis superciliosus |
| Little Hermit | Phaethornis longuemareus |
| * Scaly-breasted Hummingbird | Phaeochroa cuvierii |
| * Violet Sabrewing | Campylopterus hemileucurus |
| White-necked Jacobin | Florisuga mellivora |
| Brown Violet-ear | Colibri delphinae |
| Green Violet-ear | Colibri thalassinus |
| * Green-breasted Mango | Anthracothorax prevostii |
| * Violet-headed Hummingbird | Klais guimeti |
| * Black-crested Coquette | Lophornis helenae |
| Violet-crowned Woodnymph | Thalurania colombica |
| * Fiery-throated Hummingbird | Panterpe insignis |
| Blue-throated Goldentail | Hylocharis eliciae |
| * Mangrove Hummingbird | Amazilia boucardi |
| * Steely-vented Hummingbird | Amazilia saucerrottei |
| Rufous-tailed Hummingbird | Amazilia tzacatl |
| * Stripe-tailed Hummingbird | Eupherusa eximia |
| * Black-bellied Hummingbird | Eupherusa nigriventris |
| * Snowcap | Microchera albocoronata |
| * Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer | Chalybura urochrysia |
| * White-throated Mountain-gem | Lampornis castaneoventris |
| Green-crowned Brilliant | Heliodoxa jacula |
| Magnificent Hummingbird | Eugenes fulgens |
| Purple-crowned Fairy | Heliothryx barroti |
| * Volcano Hummingbird | Selasphorus flammula |
| * Scintillant Hummingbird | Selasphorus scintilla |
| * Resplendent Quetzal | Pharomachrus mocinno |
| Slaty-tailed Trogon | Trogon massena |
| * Baird's Trogon | Trogon bairdii |
| * Black-headed Trogon | Trogon melanocephalus |
| Collared Trogon | Trogon collaris |
| Black-throated Trogon | Trogon rufus |
| Violaceous Trogon | Trogon violaceus |
| Ringed Kingfisher | Ceryle torquata |
| Amazon Kingfisher | Chloroceryle amazona |
| Green Kingfisher | Chloroceryle americana |
| American Pygmy Kingfisher | Chloroceryle aenea |
| Broad-billed Motmot | Electron platyrhynchum |
| * Turquoise-browed Motmot | Eumomota superciliosa |
| Rufous Motmot | Baryphthengus martii |
| Blue-crowned Motmot | Momotus momota |
| Rufous-tailed Jacamar | Galbula ruficauda |
| * Lanceolated Monklet | Micromonacha lanceolata |
| * Prong-billed Barbet | Semnornis frantzii |
| Collared Aracari | Pteroglossus torquatus |
| * Fiery-billed Aracari | Pteroglossus frantzii |
| Keel-billed Toucan | Ramphastos sulfuratus |
| Chestnut-mandibled Toucan | Ramphastos swainsonii |
| Olivaceous Piculet | Picumnus olivaceus |
| Acorn Woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus |
| Black-cheeked Woodpecker | Melanerpes pucherani |
| * Golden-naped Woodpecker | Melanerpes chrysauchen |
| * Hoffmann's Woodpecker | Melanerpes hoffmannii |
| Smoky-brown Woodpecker | Veniliornis fumigatus |
| Golden-olive Woodpecker | Piculus rubiginosus |
| Lineated Woodpecker | Dryocopus lineatus |
| Pale-billed Woodpecker | Campephilus guatemalensis |
| Wedge-billed Woodcreeper | Glyphorynchus spirurus |
| Barred Woodcreeper | Dendrocolaptes certhia |
| Buff-throated Woodcreeper | Xiphorhynchus guttatus |
| Black-striped Woodcreeper | Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus |
| Spotted Woodcreeper | Xiphorhynchus rythropygius |
| Streak-headed Woodcreeper | Lepidocolaptes souleyetii |
| Spot-crowned Woodcreeper | Lepidocolaptes affinis |
| Slaty Spinetail | Synallaxis brachyura |
| Red-faced Spinetail | Cranioleuca erythrops |
| Spotted Barbtail | Premnoplex brunnescens |
| * Ruddy Treerunner | Margarornis rubiginosus |
| * Buffy Tuftedcheek | Pseudocolaptes lawrencii |
| Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner | Anabacerthia variegaticeps |
| Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner | Philydor rufus |
| Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner | Automolus ochrolaemus |
| Plain Xenops | Xenops minutus |
| Barred Antshrike | Thamnophilus doliatus |
| * Black-hooded Antshrike | Thamnophilus bridgesi |
| Plain Antvireo | Dysithamnus mentalis |
| Slaty Antwren | Myrmotherula schisticolor |
| Dot-winged Antwren | Microrhopias quixensis |
| Dusky Antbird | Cercomacra tyrannina |
| Chestnut-backed Antbird | Myrmeciza exsul |
| Dull-mantled Antbird | Myrmeciza laemosticta |
| Immaculate Antbird | Myrmeciza immaculata |
| Spotted Antbird | Hylophylax naevioides |
| * Silvery-fronted Tapaculo | Scytalopus argentifrons |
| Rufous Piha | Lipaugus unirufus |
| Red-capped Manakin | Pipra mentalis |
| Blue-crowned Manakin | Pipra coronata |
| White-ruffed Manakin | Corapipo altera |
| * White-collared Manakin | Manacus candei |
| Olive-striped Flycatcher | Mionectes olivaceus |
| Ochre-bellied Flycatcher | Mionectes oleagineus |
| Slaty-capped Flycatcher | Leptopogon superciliaris |
| * Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher | Todirostrum sylvia |
| Common Tody-Flycatcher | Todirostrum cinereum |
| * White-fronted Tyrannulet | Phyllomyias zeledoni |
| Paltry Tyrannulet | Zimmerius vilissimus |
| * Northern Scrub-Flycatcher | Sublegatus arenarum |
| Greenish Elaenia | Myiopagis viridicata |
| * Mountain Elaenia | Elaenia frantzii |
| * Torrent Tyrannulet | Serpophaga cinerea |
| Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant | Lophotriccus pileatus |
| * Northern Bentbill | Oncostoma cinereigulare |
| Eye-ringed Flatbill | Rhynchocyclus brevirostris |
| Yellow-olive Flycatcher | Tolmomyias sulphurescens |
| * Stub-tailed Spadebill | Platyrinchus cancrominus |
| * Golden-crowned Spadebill | Platyrinchus coronatus |
| * Royal Flycatcher | Onychorhynchus coronatus |
| Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher | Myiobius erythrurus |
| Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher | Myiobius barbatus |
| * Tawny-chested Flycatcher | Aphanotriccus capitalis |
| Tufted Flycatcher | Mitrephanes phaeocercus |
| * Dark Pewee | Contopus lugubris |
| * Ochraceous Pewee | Contopus ochraceus |
| Tropical Pewee | Contopus cinereus |
| * Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | Empidonax flaviventris |
| * Yellowish Flycatcher | Empidonax flavescens |
| * Black-capped Flycatcher | Empidonax atriceps |
| Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans |
| Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Myiarchus tuberculifer |
| Panama Flycatcher | Myiarchus panamensis |
| Brown-crested Flycatcher | Myiarchus tyrannulus |
| Tropical Kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus |
| Boat-billed Flycatcher | Megarynchus pitangua |
| * Golden-bellied Flycatcher | Myiodynastes hemichrysus |
| Streaked Flycatcher | Myiodynastes maculatus |
| Social Flycatcher | Myiozetetes similis |
| Great Kiskadee | Pitangus sulphuratus |
| * Thrush-like Schiffornis | Schiffornis turdinus |
| Barred Becard | Pachyramphus versicolor |
| Cinnamon Becard | Pachyramphus cinnamomeus |
| White-winged Becard | Pachyramphus olychopterus |
| Rose-throated Becard | Pachyramphus aglaiae |
| Masked Tityra | Tityra semifasciata |
| Black-crowned Tityra | Tityra inquisitor |
| Brown Jay | Psilorhinus morio |
| White-throated Magpie-Jay | Calocitta formosa |
| Rufous-browed Peppershrike | Cyclarhis gujanensis |
| * Yellow-winged Vireo | Vireo carmioli |
| * Mangrove Vireo | Vireo pallens |
| Yellow-green Vireo | Vireo flavoviridis |
| Brown-capped Vireo | Vireo leucophrys |
| * Scrub Greenlet | Hylophilus flavipes |
| Lesser Greenlet | Hylophilus decurtatus |
| * Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher | Ptilogonys caudatus |
| * Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcher | Phainoptila melanoxantha |
| * Black-faced Solitaire | Myadestes melanops |
| * Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush | Catharus gracilirostris |
| * Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush | Catharus frantzii |
| * Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush | Catharus mexicanus |
| * Sooty Robin | Turdus nigrescens |
| * Mountain Robin | Turdus plebejus |
| * Pale-vented Thrush | Turdus obsoletus |
| Clay-colored Robin | Turdus grayi |
| Rufous-naped Wren | Campylorhynchus rufinucha |
| * Black-throated Wren | Thryothorus atrogularis |
| Rufous-breasted Wren | Thryothorus rutilus |
| * Riverside Wren | Thryothorus semibadius |
| * Stripe-breasted Wren | Thryothorus thoracicus |
| * Plain Wren | Thryothorus modestus |
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon |
| Ochraceous Wren | Troglodytes ochraceus |
| * Timberline Wren | Thryorchilus browni |
| White-breasted Wood-Wren | Henicorhina leucosticta |
| Gray-breasted Wood-Wren | Henicorhina leucophrys |
| * Northern Nightingale-Wren | Microcerculus philomela |
| Song Wren | Cyphorhinus haeocephalus |
| Tropical Gnatcatcher | Polioptila plumbea |
| * Mangrove Swallow | Tachycineta albilinea |
| Gray-breasted Martin | Progne chalybea |
| Blue-and-white Swallow | Notiochelidon cyanoleuca |
| N. Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis |
| S. Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx ruficollis |
| * Yellow-bellied Siskin | Carduelis xanthogastra |
| Tropical Parula | Parula pitiayumi |
| * Flame-throated Warbler | Parula gutturalis |
| * Gray-crowned Yellowthroat | Geothlypis poliocephala |
| Slate-throated Redstart | Myioborus miniatus |
| * Collared Redstart | Myioborus torquatus |
| Golden-crowned Warbler | Basileuterus culicivorus |
| Rufous-capped Warbler | Basileuterus rufifrons |
| * Black-cheeked Warbler | Basileuterus melanogenys |
| Three-striped Warbler | Basileuterus tristriatus |
| Buff-rumped Warbler | Basileuterus fulvicauda |
| Rufous-collared Sparrow | Zonotrichia capensis |
| * Volcano Junco | Junco vulcani |
| Stripe-headed Sparrow | Aimophila ruficauda |
| * White-eared Ground-Sparrow | Melozone leucotis |
| Orange-billed Sparrow | Arremon aurantiirostris |
| Black-striped Sparrow | Arremonops conirostris |
| * Yellow-throated Brush-Finch | Atlapetes gutturalis |
| * Large-footed Finch | Pezopetes capitalis |
| * Yellow-thighed Finch | Pselliophorus tibialis |
| * Sooty-faced Finch | Lysurus crassirostris |
| Bananaquit | Coereba flaveola |
| Common Bush-Tanager | Chlorospingus ophthalmicus |
| * Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager | Chlorospingus pileatus |
| Ashy-throated Bush-Tanager | Chlorospingus canigularis |
| Black-and-yellow Tanager | Chrysothlypis chrysomelas |
| Olive Tanager | Chlorothraupis carmioli |
| Gray-headed Tanager | Eucometis penicillata |
| White-shouldered Tanager | Tachyphonus luctuosus |
| White-lined Tanager | Tachyphonus rufus |
| * Red-throated Ant-Tanager | Habia fuscicauda |
| Flame-colored Tanager | Piranga bidentata |
| * Crimson-collared Tanager | Ramphocelus anguinolentus |
| * Scarlet-rumped Tanager | Ramphocelus passerinii |
| Blue-gray Tanager | Thraupis episcopus |
| Palm Tanager | Thraupis palmarum |
| * Scrub Euphonia | Euphonia affinis |
| Thick-billed Euphonia | Euphonia laniirostris |
| White-vented Euphonia | Euphonia minuta |
| * Tawny-capped Euphonia | Euphonia anneae |
| * Golden-browed Chlorophonia | Chlorophonia callophrys |
| * Emerald Tanager | Tangara florida |
| Silver-throated Tanager | Tangara icterocephala |
| Speckled Tanager | Tangara guttata |
| Bay-headed Tanager | Tangara gyrola |
| Golden-hooded Tanager | Tangara larvata |
| * Spangle-cheeked Tanager | Tangara dowii |
| Blue Dacnis | Dacnis cayana |
| Green Honeycreeper | Chlorophanes spiza |
| Blue-black Grassquit | Volatinia jacarina |
| Variable Seedeater | Sporophila americana |
| Yellow-faced Grassquit | Tiaris olivacea |
| * Black-faced Grosbeak | Caryothraustes poliogaster |
| * Black-headed Saltator | Saltator atriceps |
| Buff-throated Saltator | Saltator maximus |
| Grayish Saltator | Saltator coerulescens |
| Blue-black Grosbeak | Cyanocompsa cyanoides |
| Chestnut-headed Oropendola | Psarocolius wagleri |
| * Montezuma Oropendola | Gymnostinops montezuma |
| Scarlet-rumped Cacique | Cacicus microrhynchus |
| * Black-cowled Oriole | Icterus dominicensis |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna |
| * Melodious Blackbird | Dives dives |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus |
| Giant Cowbird | Scaphidura oryzivora |
322 Species
Garry George
garrygeorge@msn.com
Los Angeles, California