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BIRD WATCHING IN Costa Rica
For national and international birdwatchers, Costa Rica is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world. A country with a small territory of 51,100 km2 of land area (0.03% of the world's surface) and 589,000 km2 of territorial sea, it has an avifauna with more than 900 species that surpasses all of Europe. Costa Rica is possibly the country with the most bird species and habitat types in the world in relation to the size of its territory.
The diversity of birds is divided into four ornithological provinces: Highlands, Caribbean Slope, North Pacific and South Pacific. Including Cocos Island and its territorial waters.
The country has developed the National Bird Route which is composed of 12 nodes or main birding sites, involving 7 National Parks, 1 National Wildlife Refuge, private reserves and surrounding communities, distributed practically throughout the country and differentiated into 4 Bird Zones: Tropical Dry Forest, Highlands, Caribbean Tropical Rainforest and South Pacific Tropical Rainforest. All of them with a high diversity of bird species that is complemented by the culture, rurality and local communities that are integrated into this route.
Costa Rica has:
• 3 million migratory birds of prey fly through the sky from August to November.
• 220 species are migratory and correspond to Nearctic migratory species from North America.
• 19 are globally threatened.
• One of the top 5 favorite birding countries in the
world.
• 7 endemic species, 4 on the mainland, 3 on Cocos Island.
• In total, Costa Rica's bird species constitute 9% of the world's known species. (Stiles and Skutch, 2007, p. 13-31)
www.ict.go.cr |
Tel. (506) 2299-5800
Credits
The Costa Rican Tourism Board thanks the National System of Conservation Areas, tour guides, businesses and individuals for their collaboration in the creation of the Palo Verde Infographic.
Coordination and production: Mario B. Badilla Jara.
Working Group: Mario Badilla, Luis Humberto Elizondo, Pablo González (maps), Rafael Soto, Rodolfo Lizano, Ruth Alfaro and Santos Molina (Costa Rican Tourism Board).
Consulting: Pablo Camacho, Luis Humberto Elizondo, Luis Alexander García Ugalde, Christian Zúñiga Gutiérrez, Juan Carlos Carrillo Espinoza.
Photos: Laurens A. Hidalgo, Naturalist & Birding Wildlife Photographer Tour Guide. Donovan Alvarez.
Design and layout: Floria Leiva Pacheco.
A production of the Tourism Development Department, Planning and Development Office, Costa Rican Tourism Board, Nation- al Birdwatching Route.
Reproduction in part or in full of this publication in any way is prohibited without the express written authorization of the Costa Rican Tourism Board. Any form of unauthorized use will be prosecuted on the basis of the provisions of the INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS under LAW NO. 6683, the Law on Copyright and Associated Rights. Rights reserved in accordance with the above law. Costa Rican Tourism Board
San José, Costa Rica 2023. Copyright 2023.
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