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
PLAIN-CAPPED STARTHROAT – (Species Account Blog #35)
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Caprimulgiformes,
- FAMILY: Trochilidae,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Heliomaster constantii
These large, aggressive hummingbirds are fairly drab in color but have impressively long, straight bills. Males and females are similar and each have a white stripe below and behind the eye, a pinkish or orangish red throat, a short tail, and a white stripe on the rump. Plain-capped Starthroats live around the borders of arid or semiarid forests, in thorn forests, coffee plantations, second growth, and in partially open areas with scattered vegetation. (from Birds of the World)
OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
A large, long-billed, but otherwise unremarkable hummingbird that we observed at El Toucanet Lodge near Copey de Dota in the Talamanca highlands. This was the only location we saw them at.
PHOTO GALLERY
View the five 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
Reflections of the Natural World 
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