Birds of Costa Rica (Helm Field Guides)

Product Information

Our friend liked the book because he felt the colouration of the pictured birds was more accurate than those in the other book. Two obvious examples are the Clapper Rail and the Nutting’s Flycatcher, which are both likely to be different species. Costa Rica has benefitted from a number of species splits in recent years, and potentially there are many more to come.

The new book that I am reviewing now, is indeed heavier and a little larger than the 2014 field guide, and what I like about the 2014 book is indeed its compact size. When my late husband was in the last years of his Alzheimer’s malady he could not talk but since he had loved to look at birds for years I brought him several bird books, big coffee table books, of colorful birds, and he would just look and look at them, and smile. Fifty-six of these species are placed in a Rarities section that includes accidentals, rarer pelagics, and species that have not been reported in more than twenty years. Further space is saved by not covering 27 pelagic seabirds that you are very unlikely to see anyway.Therefore, a simple, effective field guide would be an invaluable tool for residents and visitors seeking to observe and identify birds. If you are interested in contributing a book review, or if there is a book you would like to see reviewed on our site, you can contact our Book Review Editor, Evan Jackson at evan. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the birds of Costa Rica encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name, and IUCN status.

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. We acknowledge that the land on which we are situated are the lands traditionally used by the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Neutral People. Ideal for the travelling nature watcher, this useful guide provides a comprehensive overview of the variety of bird-life to be found in Costa Rica.Ever since Helm published A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica in 1989 the stream of birders heading to Costa Rica has been steady. This book helped me to see the tropics in a more complete way and understand the fragility and strength of the rainforest and its inhabitants. The foremost objective of The Birds of Costa Rica is to help anyone to correctly and confidently identify the Costa Rica birds. It is very well laid out, especially with the illustrations being on the opposite page to the description, this was something which made me choose this book over others. On page 153, depicting those most cryptic of birds, the potoos, little cameos are added showing a bird roosting, for all the world looking like part of a tree, and another depicting the bird at night - "potoo eyes reflect like burning coals.

G. Howell’s Birds of Costa Rica (2023) is an exemplary field guide and a rich source of information on Costa Rican birds that is accessible to a wide range of users. These include Blue-throated Toucanet (part of Emerald Toucanet), Flammulated Atilla (with Bright-rumped Attila), Whistling Wren (with Southern Nightingale Wren), Canebrake Wren (with Plain Wren) and Northern Violaceous Trogon (with Violaceous Trogon). Whereas the old guide had a section of colour illustrations taking up 52 pages in the middle, this new one has 166 plates. Because of its beauty, tropical climate, and tremendous biodiversity, Costa Rica is a popular locale for birding. This is exactly the focus of The Birds of Costa Rica – to assist with identification in the field – and the book succeeds admirably.The text itself is concise and stripped down to the bare minimum, but there is enough there to aid identification where the illustrations were not in themselves sufficient. Took hundreds of photos and this book has been perfect to assist in identification, although still mystified over a couple of pics!

Among the ancient Maya, the feathers were reserved for the ceremonial robes of the high priests and chiefs, and the punishment for others wearing them was death. Graced with bounteous natural beauty Costa Rica has become a popular destination for travelers from all over the world. To help all of these visitors, as well as local residents, identify and enjoy the wildlife of Costa Rica, Carrol Henderson published Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica in 2002, and it became the instant and indispensable guide. An American Birding Association Best Bird Book of the Year" "A very fine book, meeting all the established criteria for a successful modern field guide, and in many instances exceeding them.

Keeping up with taxonomic thinking in the neotropics is a nightmare, and compared to other recent field guides in the region this one is very conservative in its approach.