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
PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – (Species Account Blog #120)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Piciformes – Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans and Honeyguides
- FAMILY: Picidae – Woodpeckers,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Campephilus guatemalensis
The Pale-billed Woodpecker is one of the largest and most spectacular woodpeckers in Central America. Found in lowland forests from northern Mexico south to western Panama, this species is fairly common throughout most of its range, but is not present in heavily deforested areas, and may now be extirpated from the northwestern limit of its reported distribution in Sonora, Mexico. (from Birds of the World)
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
In Costa Rica we observed Pale-billed Woodpecker while in the Punta Leona area and near5 Sarapiquí.
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 