With more than 50 species found in this small country, the hummingbirds of Costa Rica put on an amazing show wherever you are.
While the highlight of our recent trip to Costa Rica may have been the spotting of the amazing Resplendent Quetzal, the wide variety of hummingbirds everywhere we went certainly was a close second. They swarmed feeders and haunted the flowers, so busy and intent on feeding (and fighting for territory) that they often buzzed close to our heads without seeming to notice.
Jill StaakeJill Staake Green Violet-Ears and a Magnificent Hummingbird on a feeder at Savegre Lodge in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has 54 species of hummingbirds, with four of them considered endemic to the region. While the famous Ruby-Throated Hummingbird we know so well in the U.S. does migrate there each winter, the other 53 species are found there year-round, and vary widely by different regions of the country. We saw 16 different species of the hummingbirds of Costa Rica, and managed to capture photos of many of them. Here’s a sampling of what we saw.
Jill lives in Tampa, Florida, and writes about gardening, butterflies, outdoor projects and birding. When she's not gardening, you'll find her reading, traveling and happily digging her toes into the sand on the beach.