With more and more people trying their hands at bird-watching, there is a greater need to develop sustainable bird-watching opportunities around the world. Some places have a particularly high concentration of birds and this makes them ideal bird-watching destinations. But without some sort of supportive infrastructure in place, it can be difficult, daunting or nearly impossible for the average bird watcher to visit such locations. The first protected zone in Central America is providing bird lovers with the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of color and beauty.

Costa Rica is not a big country – in fact it is about the same size as West Virginia. Yet despite this it is home to more bird species than the entire North American continent! The country is home to some 850 different bird species just waiting to be discovered by amateur and professional ornithologists. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Rainforest Biodiversity Group and the help provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Costa Rican Bird Route provides bird watchers with the opportunity to scour the Sarapiquí region of the country and search out the more than 400 bird species that can be found in this wonderfully rich part of the country. Bird lover’s will find themselves dazzled by the bright colors of green and blue Macaws, multi-colored Toucans and orange and green Motmots, among others.

The Costa Rica Bird Route has seen the teaming up of a number of new and established biological reserves to make twelve different birding sites available to bird lovers. The route takes advantages of the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor and makes a number of bird watching opportunities and programs available. The route not only gives visitors easy access to beautiful, primary rainforest, but also works towards a more environmentally sustainable economy since it gives land owners and their employees access to the benefits of tourism. This limits the need for activities that are potentially harmful to the environment and so benefits everyone in the long term. It is hoped that by providing landowners with a chance to get involved in eco-tourism, there will be more of a focus on protecting habitats and this will greatly assist with the protection of the rainforest. With some 51.3 million Americans currently reporting a fondness for bird watching, it would seem that this bird route is definitely a viable option. However, the jungle corridor is home to more than just birds, and animal lovers will find 139 species of mammals, 135 species of reptiles and 80 species of amphibians in the area, while botanists will simply be delighted at the abundance of amazing and aged plant life.

Bird lovers wishing to enjoy the Costa Rica birding experience will find that established sites such as Selva Verde are a great place to start. Here you will find comfortable, affordable accommodation and a wide selection of enjoyable activities. However, newer sites offer the more adventurous a chance to get off the beaten path and explore new areas. Whatever you prefer, make sure that you consider Costa Rica for your next bird watching holiday.

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Costa Rica is famous for its park system. Tourists enjoy excellent national parks, hiking trails, organized tours, and lodging. The lodging ranges from very cheap hostels, to classy 4-star jungle resorts. Ecotourism is big business in Costa Rica, and tourist dollars help preserve the parks and all the birds living there.

The bird most Costa Rican bird-watchers hope to spot is the Resplendent Quetzal. This dramatic bird has jewel-green feathers and a spectacular long tail plume. It lives in misty, high-elevation tropical forests called “cloud forests”. Many tourists travel to Monteverde, a Costa Rican cloud forest preserve, to look for quetzals.

Bird-watchers also head for Manuel Antonio National Park. This park has lovely white-sand beaches, rainforests filled with birds, and islands where seabirds such as Blue-footed Boobies nest.

Even people unfamiliar with birds can’t help but notice Costa Rica’s colorful bird-life. Over 50 species of hummingbirds live here, and many lodges put up feeders so that visiting tourists can get a close look. Hire a guide for a day, and he or she can also point exciting forest birds like toucans or the colorful Scarlet Macaw.

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