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
NORTHERN EMERALD TOUCANET – (Species Account Blog #113)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Piciformes – Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans and Honeyguides
- FAMILY: Ramphastidae – Toucans,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Aulacorhynchus prasinus
- Northern Emerald-Toucanet (Blue-throated) Aulacorhynchus prasinus caeruleogularis
Northern Emerald-Toucanet is a small toucan of humid montane forests of Central America; it is the northernmost species of toucan, occurring north to eastern Mexico. Like other species of Aulacorhynchus, it is primarily bright green, with a blue throat (in Costa Rica), and rufous undertail coverts and rufous tips to the rectrices. (from Birds of the World)
SIMILAR SPECIES
Within its range, no other green toucan occurs in this region, and so confusion with other species is extremely unlikely.
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
In Costa Rica we observed Northern Emerald Toucanet several times while in the mid-elevation Talamanca Range near Copay-de-Dota and Miriam’s Restaurant and also at Soda Cinchona in the Cordillera Central.
PHOTO GALLERY
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 
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