The best advice for birding in Costa Rica is to visit several different habitats, hire a local guide who specializes in bird watching and be prepared with the “Birds of Costa Rica”. This excellent guide, written by Gary Stiles, University of Costa Rica and Alexander Skutch, is readily available from Cornell University Press. Birdwatchers will find well – drawn illustrations and useful information on the calling habits and plumage of this classic book, which also includes key observation productive bird areas and provides useful tips on clothing, repellents insects, etc.

Some of the birds described might have come straight from the imagination of Dr. Seuss. Take the umbrella bird, for example, with its crest of fine feathers that make the bird look as if carrying an umbrella over his head (that would be just the thing in the humid cloud forest where you live). Or the Three – Wattled Bellbird, it does not say “Ding, dong,” or sounds like a bell at all. No need “BONK!”