page_title: Wildlife of Costa Rica
section_title: Birds
hierarchical_section_title: Wildlife of Costa Rica / Birds
caption_attribution_description: Description: Clay-colored Robin (Turdus-grayi) Panama City, Panama, 2005 December Photograph: Mdf first upload in en wikipedia on 19:50, 13 December 2005 by Mdf Licence:
context_page_description: The Wildlife of Costa Rica comprises all naturally occurring animals, fungi and plants that reside in this Central American country. Costa Rica supports an enormous variety of wildlife, due in large part to its geographic position between the North and South American continents, its neotropical climate, and its wide variety of habitats. Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 species, which represents nearly 5% of the total species estimated worldwide, making Costa Rica one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Of these 500,000 species, a little more than 300,000 are insects.
  One of the principal sources of Costa Rica's biodiversity is that the country, together with the land now considered Panama, formed a bridge connecting the North and South American continents approximately three to five million years ago. This bridge allowed the very different flora and fauna of the two continents to mix.
context_section_description: 894 bird species have been recorded in Costa Rica (including Cocos Island), more than all of the United States and Canada combined. More than 600 of the Costa Rican species are permanent residents, and upwards of 200 are migrants, spending portions of the year outside of the country, usually in North America. Seven of the Costa Rican species are considered endemic, and 19 are globally threatened. Costa Rica's birds range in size from the scintillant hummingbird, at 2.2 grams and 6 cm (2.4 in), to the huge jabiru, at 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) and 150 cm (60 in) (the American white pelican is heavier, but is an accidental species).
  Scarlet macaws are a common species of Costa Rica.  Unlike many bird species, macaws form a monogamous breeding pair and mate for life.  Both males and females help care for young and raise chicks for up to two years before they fledge.  Threats to the macaw include their popularity in the pet trade.  One individual can be sold for up to one thousand dollars.
  The resplendent quetzal, a trogon with a stunning physical appearance, can also be found in parts of Costa Rica. The bird's long grey and black tail feathers can stretch up to a meter long and are its defining feature. Resplendent quetzals live in cloud forests and are most active in the canopy. They can be found in several of Costa Rica's parks and reserves, including the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, Braulio Carrillo National Park, Poas Volcano National Park, Chirripo National Park, and the Juan Castro Blanco National Park. Resplendent quetzals eat fruit, insects, small frogs, lizards, and snails and have distinctive echoing calls. Unfortunately, the bird is endangered because its cloud forest habitat has been widely destroyed across Central America.
  Hummingbird species demonstrate adaptation with bill shape and size.  Certain species have specialized bills that allow them to feed from the flowers of certain species of plants.  The relationship between the hummingbird and plant is mutualistic because the hummingbird transfers pollen between plant individuals in exchange for nectar.  Because different species of hummingbirds are adapted to specific plants, [pollination] of the right plants with the right pollen is ensured.  The mangrove hummingbird is endemic to Costa Rica and specializes in feeding from the tea mangrove plant.
  Costa Rican officials have explored the possibility of shutting down their national zoos in an effort to demonstrate a more advanced appreciation for the wildlife in their country.
caption: Yigüirro, Costa Rica's national bird.
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