All Six Kingfishers
The count recorded all six kingfisher species found in the region, including the rare belted kingfisher, the green-and-rufous kingfisher and the American pygmy kingfisher.
BÖËNA ARTICLE
Tortuguero Bird Count Tallies
a Record 221 Species
The bird counters were out in force, gliding along the muggy canals of Tortuguero in boats like ordinary tourists, but they were on a mission. About 40 bird experts spent the day tracking 12 areas across the region — and recorded the highest number of species in the history of the annual count.
221
Species recorded in one day
About 40 bird experts spent Jan. 29 tracking 12 areas to make a list of the species they found in the Tortuguero region — a record high for this annual bird count.
Some 923 bird species are believed to exist in all of Costa Rica, and more than 400 live in the aquatic jungles of Tortuguero.
01 — A Caribbean Birding Stronghold
Where Forest, Wetlands and Migratory Routes Meet
The country’s Caribbean coast is notable in part for the great green macaw (Ara ambiguus), a beautiful parrot that is mostly green, with colorful splashes of blue and red. It’s considered critically endangered, existing only between Honduras and Ecuador.
Bird expert Juan Molina, 38, a naturalist guide for Tortuga Lodge, participated in the count and said he saw some species that surprised him, but didn’t see others that had been spotted previously.
02 — Species of the Count
Rare Sightings, Lifers and Unexpected Encounters
The Sungrebe
A rare, ducklike bird often found on birdwatchers’ wish lists. Male sungrebes have unique pouches under their wings that they use to carry hatchlings.
A New Lifer
Molina saw a pied puffbird for the first time, allowing him to cross the fluffy insect- and spider-eating species off his “lifer” list.
Great Potoo
The team also spotted the owl-like nocturnal carnivore, a species Molina has seen several times directly at Tortuga Lodge.
One of the most memorable observations was a flock of 32 great green macaws flying together over the Tortuguero region.
Molina said the bird spotters were dispatched to 12 locations in Tortuguero National Park and the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge. A new methodology and an enlarged search area allowed experts to spot more birds than ever.
03 — A Scientific and Community Effort
Counting Birds to Understand Change
40
Bird experts
12
Survey locations
25
Local children involved
Some 25 local children were also involved, at least in the inaugural activities, though because of coronavirus restrictions they could not accompany the ornithologists on the actual count.
The complete list of species both spotted and not spotted reads like a “Who’s Who” of birds with funny names.
Spotted
Black-bellied whistling duck, gray-rumped swift, bronzy hermit, purple-crowned fairy, crowned woodnymph, purple gallinule and buff-throated saltator.
Not Spotted
Slaty-breasted tinamou, gray-headed chacalaca, violaceous quail dove, chuck-will’s widow, American oyster catcher, greater yellowlegs and masked booby.
04 — Why the Count Matters
A Baseline for Future Conservation
“This bird count constitutes a notable scientific effort so that experts can determine a base for future studies about the many species.”
— Gustavo Alvarado, Minister of TourismAccording to ICT data, some 65% of international tourists participate in some kind of ecotourism, and 13% come to Costa Rica for birdwatching.
05 — Conservation in Practice
Tortuga Lodge and the Four C’s
Tortuga Lodge, one of the top ecolodges in the region, provided transportation, boats and expert guides to assist in the count. Part of the Böëna Lodges collection, Tortuga Lodge believes in the “four C’s” of sustainability: conservation, commerce, community and culture.
Rodrigo Alfaro, manager of Tortuga Lodge, said this annual count is important “to generate consciousness among people, and above all to understand if we’re collaborating with the environment or harming it.” He said the most important thing humans can do to keep bird populations healthy is not cut down trees — and plant more.
“Little by little more people are involved. I know professional birders from other countries, experts who have written books, who come here to see birds. It’s not just learners, but experts who love to come here because they know they’ll see lots of birds.”
— Juan MolinaThere Is Always Next Year
Nobody spotted a white-crowned pigeon, which usually inhabits Caribbean islands but sometimes flies to the mainland to escape storms. The weather was perfect on the day of the count, yet this one apparently stayed away.
But that is part of what makes birding in Tortuguero so compelling: every count reveals something new, and every season leaves another reason to return.