How Many Birds Can You See on a Birding Tour in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica has an impressive bird list. Several sources claim that more than 860 bird species live in this small, very birdy country. For a nation roughly similar in size to Wales or West Virginia, that's certainly a heck of a lot of birds! However, that hefty number is actually old and outdated. As of 2024, the actual number of bird species on the official Costa Rica bird list is an incredible 935 (936 if American Flamingo is accepted)!

Yes, that many birds have been identified in Costa Rica and we expect at least a few more! Can you see all of them on a birding tour to Costa Rica? No, several species are rare vagrants, another suite can only be seen on pelagic trips, many are migrants, a few no longer occur, and others are very rare or live in remote corners of the country. That's no surprise, it's the same for every country bird list. Even so, in Costa Rica, it still leaves room for connecting with literally hundreds of bird species!

There are also three main factors that determine the number of species seen on a birding tour to Costa Rica as well as other places:

Tour Length

It goes without saying that the longer you bird any area, the more you see, especially in tropical places like Costa Rica. We do have a huge number of bird species but many are naturally uncommon or rare, and tropical forests are so complex, they can also be unpredictable. Birds feeding at a fruiting tree one day might move to another area a few days later while other species might only occur with mixed flocks or use specific microhabitats. Those variables make for exciting birding but it also means you never know what you'll find!

Bare-necked Umbrellabird is a rare and endangered mega but we do know sites for it...

One strategy to up the odds is staying for several days in extremely biodiverse areas. That means staying two or three nights to adequately cover regions like the Caribbean and South Pacific lowlands. Of course, if you stay longer, you'll see even more but no birding tour lasts forever. Birding tour length also depends on the next factor; how many sites you visit.

Number of Bioregions Visited

In Costa Rica, we've got at least five different bioregions along with two or three more "mini bioregions", each with their own set of birds or avian specialties. The more of those you visit, the more birds you have a chance at.

For example, if you want to see Yellow-breasted Crake, Pinnated Bittern, and Nicaraguan Grackle, you'll need to visit Cano Negro. Glittering Emerald Tanagers and the exquisite Black-crested Coquette? Make sure the tour includes visits to foothill rainforest on the Caribbean slope. What about the famed Resplendent Quetzal? They share highland rainforests with a bunch of near endemics!

The fantastic Fiery-throated Hummingbird is one of those near endemics.

Every tour is limited by time but if the itinerary includes birding time in dry forest, Caribbean lowland and foothill forest, Cano Negro, South Pacific slope forest, and highland habitats, you could see 400 plus species.

Tour Focus

The final factor covered here is the focus of the tour. Are you into targeted birding or bird photography? Maybe a blend of both? Easy, relaxed birding with pool time and no serious hikes? All of these factors determine how many birds you'll see.

By nature, serious, targeted birding will find more species than a tour completely geared to bird photography, and casual, easy-going birding will forfeit some shy species that require long hikes in heavy forest. At the end of the day, no matter what your focus is, in Costa Rica, you'll still see a good number of fantastic and beautiful birds!

The Crimson-collared Tanager is one of those beauties.

So how many species can you see on a birding tour to Costa Rica? In general, a week long birding tour that visits at least three different areas will probably find close to 300 species. A two week tour may find 350 to 400 or more species, and a three week tour to the right places can reach 500. If focusing solely on bird photography, those numbers will likely be lower.

Lastly, the number of birds also depends on the quality of the logistics and birding guide (s). No matter where you take a birding tour, highly experienced, local guides will always find more bird species simply because they have intimate birding knowledge of the places visited on the tour. Want to find out where we go on birding tours in Costa Rica? How many species to expect? Write Lifer Tours today!