Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Appearance:
Small heron
Squat, thick proportions
Thick necks
Large, flat head
Heavy, pointed bill
Short legs
Broad, rounded wings
Adult:
    - Pale grey upperparts
    - Black crown and back
    - White underparts
    - Yellow legs
    - Black bill
    - Red eyes
Immature:
    - Brown with large white spots on the wings
    - Blurry streaks on the underparts
    - Yellowish-green legs
    - Yellow and black bill
    - Orange eyes

Today we went for a boat tour on the Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park. Word of advice: if you plan a trip there, don't forget your bug spray!The mosquitoes were horrendous. Along with the insects, we did see lots of birds, as well as crocodiles and howler monkeys. This heron, normally active at night, was foraging on the bank of the river. It was rather striking with its gray and black plumage and long white head plume.

immature (photo taken in San Diego, CA)

Learn more about the Black-crowned Night-Heron.

  

Rufous-naped Wren

Campylorhynchus rufinucha

Appearance:
Large wren
Black, slightly decurved bill
Dark crown and eye stripe
White supercilium, cheek and throat
Rufous nape, upper back and rump
Cinnamon-brown upperparts streaked with black and white
Barred black and greyish-white wings and tail
White underparts

I often spotted a pair of these wrens foraging in the low vegetation around our condo during my time in Costa Rica. Compared to many of the birds in the area, these ones seemed rather tame and inquisitive. 

Learn more about the Rufous-naped Wren.

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Eumomota superciliosa 

Appearance:
Olive-green body
Rufus back and belly
Broad turquoise band above eye
Black mask with thin strip of turquoise underneath
Triangular patch of rufus behind eye
Turquoise-bordered black patch on throat
Olive-green and turquoise wings with black tips
Turquoise tail with black tips
Two long, central tail feathers with middle portion missing
Long, thick, black bill

These striking birds were quite common in Guanacaste. I saw them daily during my time there, perched on telephone wires and fence posts, waving their tails back and forth like pendulums. Oddly enough, none of them had any turquoise on their brow, which I found a bit confusing. The most interesting thing I witnessed was a pair of them entering a tiny hole in a bank of dirt next to a road. Apparently, they dig long tunnels in banks to build their nests.

Learn more about the Turquoise-browed Motmot. 

Snowy Egret

Egretta thula

Appearance:
Medium-sized heron
Long, slender, black bill with yellow patch at base
White plumage
Long, slender, black legs
Yellow feet

There is no mistaking this egret with its contrasting black legs and bright yellow feet. Even at a distance when size can't always be used as a guideline, those feet really stand out. 

Learn more about the Snowy Egret.

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

Appearance:
Large seabird
Dark brownish-black plumage
Long, pointed wings 
Long, deeply forked tail
Short neck
Long, hooked bill
Male:
   Red throat patch which inflates to attract mate
Female:
   White breast
Juvenile:
   White head and chest
   Light bluish-grey legs, feet and bill

Listen to its call.

The first time I saw these magnificent birds in Puerto Vallarta, I was fascinated. They have a wingspan of up to seven feet and a slender, deeply-forked tail. Whenever I was near the shore, they could be seen hovering overhead. As the name suggests, truly magnificent!

male (non-breeding)

female

juvenile

Learn more about the Magnificent Frigatebird. 

Great Kiskadee

Pitangus sulphuratus

Appearance:
Large flycatcher
Heavy, black bill
Black head with white eyebrow
White throat
Yellow underparts
Reddish-brown upperparts

Listen to its call.

There are three birds of similar appearance in Mexico: the Great Kiskadee, the Boat-billed Flycatcher and the Social Flycatcher. Although they all have the same color pattern, the first two are larger than the Social Flycatcher with much larger bills, particularly the Boat-billed. In addition, the Great Kiskadee has more rufous in its wings than the others, as can be seen in these photos.

Learn more about the Great Kiskadee.