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 in Costa Rica, 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
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
WHIMBREL – (Species Account Blog #61)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Charadriiformes,
- FAMILY: Scolopacidae,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Numenius phaeopus
The Whimbrel, a large shorebird, is the most wide-ranging of the curlew species and the only one that nests across both the Nearctic and Palearctic. The Whimbrel has a long neck, legs and down-curved bills. They are streaked, buffy, crown dark and have a distinct light stripe in the middle. (from Birds of the World)
SIMILAR SPECIES
Distinct dark crown with well-defined buff median stripe; lacking in larger Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
Fairly common and conspicuous large shorebird with a long down-curved bill typically found in close proximity to the coast. We saw about a dozen of them along the banks of the Tárcoles River and along the Gulf of Nicoya shoreline.
PHOTO GALLERY
**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
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 