Costa Rica Ramsar wetland
Sierpe River
340 bird species recorded; the most in March.
Bernard Gagnon · CC0
This month here
233 species in January.248 species in February.276 species in March.221 species in April.195 species in May.129 species in June.175 species in July.133 species in August.162 species in September.133 species in October.193 species in November.234 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.





















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- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
340 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 340Speciesrecorded more than once
- 129Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 26,799Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 27Raptors
- 6Owls
- 25Waders
- 15Gulls & seabirds
- 3Ducks & geese
- 21Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 154Songbirds
- 88Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 340 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors27 species
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinus
- Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostris
- Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatus
- King VultureSarcoramphus papa
- Double-toothed KiteHarpagus bidentatus
- Bat FalconFalco rufigularis
- Laughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
- Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
- Crane HawkGeranospiza caerulescens
- Grey-lined HawkButeo nitidus
- Great Black HawkButeogallus urubitinga
- Black Hawk-eagleSpizaetus tyrannus
- Grey-headed KiteLeptodon cayanensis
- Collared Forest FalconMicrastur semitorquatus
- Leucopternis albicollisLeucopternis albicollis
- Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus
- Tiny HawkAccipiter superciliosus
- Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
- Hook-billed KiteChondrohierax uncinatus
- Savanna HawkButeogallus meridionalis
Owls6 species
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Crested OwlLophostrix cristata
- Mottled OwlStrix virgata
- Spectacled OwlPulsatrix perspicillata
- Tropical Screech-OwlMegascops choliba
- Black-and-white OwlStrix nigrolineata
Waders25 species
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis
- Northern JacanaJacana spinosa
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Wandering (Alaskan) TattlerTringa incana
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Hudsonian WhimbrelNumenius hudsonicus
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
Gulls & seabirds15 species
- Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Red-footed BoobySula sula
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegansNT
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Anous stolidusAnous stolidus
- Phaethon aethereusPhaethon aethereus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Blue-footed BoobySula nebouxii
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
Ducks & geese3 species
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
Herons, ibises & grebes21 species
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Bare-throated Tiger-heronTigrisoma mexicanum
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Boat-billed HeronCochlearius cochlearius
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Agami HeronAgamia agamiNT
- Fasciated Tiger-heronTigrisoma fasciatum
- Reddish EgretEgretta rufescensNT
- Green IbisMesembrinibis cayennensis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
Storks & cranes1 species
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
Songbirds154 species
- Mangrove SwallowTachycineta albilinea
- Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
- Yellow-billed CotingaCarpodectes antoniaeNT
- Gray-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
- Social FlycatcherMyiozetetes similis
- Scarlet-rumped TanagerRamphocelus passerinii
- Riverside WrenCantorchilus semibadius
- Blue-gray TanagerThraupis episcopus
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Thraupis palmarumThraupis palmarum
- BananaquitCoereba flaveola
- Black-hooded AntshrikeThamnophilus bridgesi
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Masked TityraTityra semifasciata
- Clay-colored ThrushTurdus grayi
- Subtropical CaciqueCacicus uropygialis
- Cocoa WoodcreeperXiphorhynchus susurrans
- Boat-billed FlycatcherMegarynchus pitangua
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Chestnut-backed AntbirdMyrmeciza exsul
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Southern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx ruficollis
- Stilpnia larvataStilpnia larvata
- Piratic FlycatcherLegatus leucophaius
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Variable SeedeaterSporophila corvina
- Lesser GreenletHylophilus decurtatus
- Black-striped WoodcreeperXiphorhynchus lachrymosus
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Bright-rumped AttilaAttila spadiceus
- Streaked FlycatcherMyiodynastes maculatus
- Black-crowned TityraTityra inquisitor
- Gray-capped FlycatcherMyiozetetes granadensis
- Red-legged HoneycreeperCyanerpes cyaneus
- Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Common Tody-flycatcherTodirostrum cinereum
- Tropical GnatcatcherPolioptila plumbea
- Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
- Blue DacnisDacnis cayana
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Rufous PihaLipaugus unirufus
- Red-capped manakinPipra mentalis
- Spot-crowned EuphoniaEuphonia imitans
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Southern House WrenTroglodytes musculus
- Yellow-crowned EuphoniaEuphonia luteicapilla
- Tropical MockingbirdMimus gilvus
- Blue-crowned manakinLepidothrix coronata
- Green HoneycreeperChlorophanes spiza
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Buff-throated SaltatorSaltator maximus
- Panama FlycatcherMyiarchus panamensis
- Blue-black GrassquitVolatinia jacarina
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Blue-black GrosbeakCyanocompsa cyanoides
- Bay-headed TanagerTangara gyrola
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Black-faced AntthrushFormicarius analis
- Wedge-billed WoodcreeperGlyphorynchus spirurus
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Black-bellied WrenPheugopedius fasciatoventris
- Loriotus luctuosusLoriotus luctuosus
- Streak-headed WoodcreeperLepidocolaptes souleyetii
- Cabanis's WrenCantorchilus modestus
- Dot-winged AntwrenMicrorhopias quixensis
- Black-striped SparrowArremonops conirostris
- Orange-billed SparrowArremon aurantiirostris
- Yellow-bellied ElaeniaElaenia flavogaster
- Turquoise CotingaCotinga ridgwayiVU
- Morelet's SeedeaterSporophila morelleti
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Guatemalan TyrannuletZimmerius vilissimus
- Orange-collared ManakinManacus aurantiacus
- Melodious BlackbirdDives dives
- Ochre-bellied FlycatcherMionectes oleagineus
- Tawny-winged WoodcreeperDendrocincla anabatina
- Shining HoneycreeperCyanerpes lucidus
- Thick-billed Seed FinchSporophila funerea
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Southern Beardless-tyrannuletCamptostoma obsoletum
- Ramphocaenus melanurusRamphocaenus melanurus
- Yellow-olive FlatbillTolmomyias sulphurescens
- Sulphur-bellied FlycatcherMyiodynastes luteiventris
- Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
- Tawny-crowned GreenletHylophilus ochraceiceps
- Scale-crested Pygmy-TyrantLophotriccus pileatus
- Thick-billed EuphoniaEuphonia laniirostris
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacilla
- Yellow-green VireoVireo flavoviridis
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Cinnamon BecardPachyramphus cinnamomeus
- Shiny CowbirdMolothrus bonariensis
- Grey-headed TanagerEucometis penicillata
- Northern BentbillOncostoma cinereigulare
- Turdus assimilisTurdus assimilis
- Rufous MournerRhytipterna holerythra
- Yellow-crowned TyrannuletTyrannulus elatus
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Golden-crowned SpadebillPlatyrinchus coronatus
- White-wingedPachyramphus polychopterus
- Buff-rumped WarblerMyiothlypis fulvicauda
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Southern Nightingale-WrenMicrocerculus marginatus
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Brown JayPsilorhinus morio
- Rose-throated BecardPachyramphus aglaiae
- Tropical PeweeContopus cinereus
- White-throated Shrike-tanagerLanio leucothoraxNT
- Barred AntshrikeThamnophilus doliatus
- Chiriqui Foliage-gleanerAutomolus exsertus
- Yellow-bellied TyrannuletOrnithion semiflavum
- Yellow-billed CaciqueAmblycercus holosericeus
- Northern Barred WoodcreeperDendrocolaptes sanctithomae
- Three-wattled BellbirdProcnias tricarunculatusVU
- Brown-winged SchiffornisSchiffornis turdina
- Green Shrike-vireoVireolanius pulchellus
- Great AntshrikeTaraba major
- Scrub GreenletHylophilus flavipes
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
- Deconychura typicaDeconychura typica
- Montezuma OropendolaPsarocolius montezuma
- Red-breasted MeadowlarkSturnella militaris
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Giant CowbirdMolothrus oryzivorus
- Eastern WoodhaunterHyloctistes subulatus
- White-cheeked AntbirdGymnopithys leucaspis
- Dusky AntbirdCercomacra tyrannina
- Ruddy-breasted SeedeaterSporophila minuta
- Eye-ringed FlatbillRhynchocyclus brevirostris
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Yellow TyrannuletCapsiempis flaveola
- Ruddy-tailed FlycatcherTerenotriccus erythrurus
- Pale-breasted SpinetailSynallaxis albescens
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Yellow-bellied SeedeaterSporophila nigricollis
- Western Wood-PeweeContopus sordidulus
- Rusty-margined FlycatcherMyiozetetes cayanensis
- Greenish ElaeniaMyiopagis viridicata
- Amazonian Royal FlycatcherOnychorhynchus coronatus
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- White-lined TanagerTachyphonus rufus
- Gray-crowned YellowthroatGeothlypis poliocephala
- Bare-crowned AntbirdGymnocichla nudiceps
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Speckled TanagerIxothraupis guttata
Other birds88 species
- Scarlet MacawAra macao
- Green KingfisherChloroceryle americana
- Orange-chinned ParakeetBrotogeris jugularis
- Yellow-throated ToucanRamphastos ambiguus
- Common PotooNyctibius griseus
- Pale-vented PigeonPatagioenas cayennensis
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Amazon KingfisherChloroceryle amazona
- Ringed KingfisherMegaceryle torquata
- Red-crowned WoodpeckerMelanerpes rubricapillus
- Red-lored AmazonAmazona autumnalis
- Aramides cajaneaAramides cajanea
- Short-billed PigeonPatagioenas nigrirostris
- Golden-naped WoodpeckerMelanerpes chrysauchen
- Lineated WoodpeckerDryocopus lineatus
- Ruddy Ground DoveColumbina talpacoti
- Fiery-billed AraçariPteroglossus frantzii
- Costa Rican SwiftChaetura fumosa
- Smooth-billed AniCrotophaga ani
- White-tipped DoveLeptotila verreauxi
- Slaty-tailed TrogonTrogon massena
- Finsch's ParakeetAratinga finschi
- Rufous-tailed HummingbirdAmazilia tzacatl
- Southern Mealy AmazonAmazona farinosa
- Lesser NighthawkChordeiles acutipennis
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- American Pygmy KingfisherChloroceryle aenea
- Gray-headed ChachalacaOrtalis cinereiceps
- Long-billed HermitPhaethornis longirostris
- Lesson's MotmotMomotus lessonii
- Great TinamouTinamus major
- Charming HummingbirdPolyerata decora
- White-crowned ParrotPionus senilis
- White-collared SwiftStreptoprocne zonaris
- Chlorestes eliciaeChlorestes eliciae
- Pale-billed WoodpeckerCampephilus guatemalensis
- White-necked PuffbirdNotharchus hyperrhynchus
- Stripe-throated HermitPhaethornis striigularis
- Black-throated TrogonTrogon rufus
- Common Squirrel-cuckooPiaya cayana
- Little TinamouCrypturellus soui
- White-necked JacobinFlorisuga mellivora
- Crowned WoodnymphThalurania colombica
- Blue Ground DoveClaravis pretiosa
- Mangrove CuckooCoccyzus minor
- Band-tailed BarbthroatThrenetes ruckeri
- Blue-headed ParrotPionus menstruus
- Baird's TrogonTrogon bairdiiNT
- PauraqueNyctidromus albicollis
- Pionopsitta haematotisPionopsitta haematotis
- Grey-chested DoveLeptotila cassinii
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Bronzy HermitGlaucis aeneus
- Crested GuanPenelope purpurascensNT
- Inca DoveColumbina inca
- Common Ground-DoveColumbina passerina
- Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
- Gartered TrogonTrogon caligatus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Purple-crowned FairyHeliothryx barroti
- Chestnut-collared SwiftStreptoprocne rutila
- White-throated CrakeLaterallus albigularis
- Lesser Swallow-tailed SwiftPanyptila cayennensis
- Rufous-tailed JacamarGalbula ruficauda
- Scaly-breasted HummingbirdPhaeochroa cuvierii
- Great CurassowCrax rubraVU
- Rufous-winged WoodpeckerPiculus simplex
- Striped CuckooTapera naevia
- Violet-headed HummingbirdKlais guimeti
- Ruddy Quail-DoveGeotrygon montana
- Veraguas MangoAnthracothorax veraguensis
- White-crested CoquetteLophornis adorabilis
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Garden EmeraldChlorostilbon assimilis
- Band-tailed PigeonPatagioenas fasciata
- Short-tailed NighthawkLurocalis semitorquatus
- LimpkinAramus guarauna
- Long-billed StarthroatHeliomaster longirostris
- American Black SwiftCypseloides nigerVU
- Brown-throated ParakeetAratinga pertinax
- Scaled PigeonPatagioenas speciosa
- Plain-breasted Ground-DoveColumbina minuta
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Chrysuronia coeruleogularisChrysuronia coeruleogularis
- Gray-breasted CrakeLaterallus exilis
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Green HermitPhaethornis guy
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in March.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan28°/24°89 mm
- Feb29°/24°50 mm
- Mar30°/24°66 mm
- Apr29°/24°136 mm
- May28°/24°298 mm
- Jun27°/24°271 mm
- Jul27°/24°320 mm
- Aug27°/24°277 mm
- Sep26°/24°267 mm
- Oct26°/24°318 mm
- Nov26°/24°299 mm
- Dec27°/24°154 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Sierpe River.
River in Costa Rica
Sierpe River is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Costa Rica.
340 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 26,799 open records.
The most recorded are the Little Blue Heron, the White Ibis and the Mangrove Swallow.
62 species come for the summer, 58 for the winter and 9 only pass through.
8 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, Turquoise Cotinga and Short-billed Dowitcher.
The most species are recorded in March.

Get there and watch
- Isla Violin Eco-Lodgeplace to stay · 6.7 km · 2 within 10 km
- Puerto Cortésnearest town · 17 km in a straight line
- Puerto Jimenez Airport (PJM)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 43 km in a straight lineCar hire at PJM airport (Puerto Jimenez)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.

Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 2places to stay within 10 kmIsla Violin Eco-Lodge, Finca La Puesta del Sol
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Sierpe River.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.

Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7511286) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 26,799 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.



