Birds & Birding in Costa Rica: – Costa Rica’s national motto and tourism slogan, “La Pura Vida” loosely translates to Live Life or Enjoy Life. With over 900 bird species recorded here, there is certainly lots to enjoy! With 12 of the world’s 18 life zones, its diverse landscapes, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas, provide habitat for a wide range of iconic birds A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain

BIRDS & BIRDING IN COSTA RICA WEBSITE LINK

GREEN-BREASTED MANGO – (Species Account Blog #30)

ABOUT THIS SPECIES

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Caprimulgiformes,
• FAMILY: Trochilidae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Anthracothorax prevostii

The Green-breasted Mango is a polytypic (multiple forms or morphs) species with four subspecies currently recognized that are distributed from eastern Mexico south to northwestern Panama, on a few islands in the western Caribbean, and in northeastern Colombia and northern Venezuela. It is a large, robust hummingbird with a stout, slightly curved bill. The male is primarily deep green with a purple tail. The female and immature are green above and have whitish median underparts with a dark central stripe. The older adult female may look more like the adult male. (from Birds of the World).

OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

In Costa Rica we first spotted this species at Rancho Naturalista at the feeders and again at Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat near Sarapiqui. I first saw this hummingbird (male and female) while visiting Cozumel Island in Quintana Roo, MX and again in Belize and at Tikal in Guatemala.

PHOTO GALLERY

BIRDS & BIRDING IN COSTA RICA WEBSITE LINK: Green-breasted Mango

View the three most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding