@ Punta Leona Resort, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

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

BIRDS & BIRDING IN COSTA RICA WEBSITE LINK


TURQUOISE-BROWED MOTMOT(Species Account Blog #106)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

  • ORDER: Coraciiformes – kingfishers, todies, motmots, bee-eaters, rollers, hoopoes, and hornbills,
  • FAMILY: Momotidae – Motmots,
  • BINOMIAL NAME: Eumomota superciliosa

The Turquoise-browed Motmot is surely one of the most flamboyantly plumaged of a remarkable family, and it is sufficiently distinctive from other motmots to be afforded its own genus. Plumage distinctive, with turquoise brow, turquoise-blue wings and tail with big rackets. It has a relatively small range, in the Yucatán Peninsula of eastern Mexico and northernmost Guatemala, and on the Pacific slope of Middle America, from southern Mexico south to northwest Costa Rica. (from Birds of the World)

Distinguished from other momotids by exceptionally long bare tail shafts, blue eyebrow, pattern of throat and breast.

Turquois-browed Motmot Distribution Map (from Birds of the World)

In Costa Rica we observed Turquois-browed Motmots at three locations around the Punta Leona and Carara NP area..


**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

@ Calukmul, Mancolona, Campeche, MX
@ Calukmul, Mancolona, Campeche, MX

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

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ABOUT THE SITE

With a primary focus on birds, each blog series has it’s own unique look at the wildlife and wild places encountered at different locations that I have visited around the world.

ABOUT ME

I earned my college degree in biology, a foundation that shaped not only how I see the world, but how I’ve spent my life sharing it with others. For more than 40 years, I taught and led in public education, helping students discover the wonder woven into every corner of the natural world. That same drive has carried me through decades of citizen science and conservation work. As an active member of the Modesto Camera Club, I’ve developed a photographic practice that blends natural history with visual artistry, and my award‑winning images have been featured across the Internet on dozens of sites and field‑oriented platforms. This blog brings together my passions for birding, conservation, and storytelling.

~ Jim Gain