Costa Rica is among the most popular birding destinations in the world, with a breathtaking diversity of neotropical birdlife and stunningly beautiful habitats ranging from shady mangrove swamps to mist-enshrouded mountaintops and verdant rainforest. Birds of Costa Rica is the essential illustrated pocket guide to this biologically rich country. It covers all regularly occurring bird species found in the region and features facing-page plates and text that make field identification easy. Concise species accounts describe everything from size and distribution to voice, habitat, and status. This compact guide also features progressive taxonomy and a wealth of color range maps.
- Covers more than 800 species of birds found in Costa Rica
- Includes more than 200 superb color plates
- Features concise species accounts, facing-page plates and text, and up-to-date range maps
- Its compact size and field-friendly layout make it the ideal travel companion for any birder
Awards and Recognition
- An American Birding Association Best Bird Book of the Year
Dale Dyer is an acclaimed bird illustrator and a field associate at the American Museum of Natural History. His books include Birds of Central America (Princeton). Steve N. G. Howell is an international bird tour leader with WINGS and is one of the world’s leading authorities on the birds of Mexico and Central America. His books include Oceanic Birds of the World (Princeton).
"[U]pdated, informative, attractive, and even a little controversial. . . . Birds of Costa Rica will vastly enhance the capacity of users to accurately identify species which previously caused confused among many Costa Ricans and visiting birders. It will be a valuable resource for the study and greater understanding of the country’s avifauna."—Mercedes Alpízar, Birding
"A very fine book, meeting all the established criteria for a successful modern field guide, and in many instances exceeding them."—David M. Gascoigne, Travels With Birds
"This book is a MUST have for anyone birding Costa Rica!"—Ian Paulsen, The Birdbooker Report
"Lavishly and beautiful[ly] illustrated."—Geoff Carpentier, North Durham Nature
"An exemplary field guide and a rich source of information on Costa Rican birds. . . . We anticipate that it will become the guide of choice for many years to come."—Luke Owen Frishkoff & Evan Matthew, Journal of Field Ornithology
"Costa Rica has long been a popular birding destination, and over time access to sites and our knowledge of the birds there has increased significantly. The authors have used all of that knowledge to produce an excellent, lightweight guide that will undoubtedly become the go-to guide for visitors to this wonderful country."—Frank Lambert, Frank Lambert Birding
"The paintings are so elegant. . . . An impressive work."—Rebecca Minardi, American Birding Association
"[Birds of Costa Rica] covers over 800 species found in the country with 200 or better color plates, concise species accounts, facing plates and text, with up-to-date range maps. It is as compact as a birding guide can be, and would be a good travel companion. . . . Get your copy in plenty of time to study your birds for the habitats that you will be visiting. There are interesting subspecies for many of these birds for readers to peruse. One never knows what will be available on each trip."—Deb Hirt, Muskogee Phoenix
