Wildlife
Bird · Trogons
The male's shimmering green plumage and trailing tail plumes make it one of the most prized birds in the Americas. Cloud forest in the Talamanca mountains, Monteverde and Savegre are the places to look.
Meet the quetzal
Amphibian · Tree Frogs
Red eyes, a bright green body and blue-and-yellow flanks: the frog that stands for Costa Rica, found on night walks in the lowland forests of both coasts.
Meet the tree frog
Mammal · Sloths
Slow, green-tinged and often asleep in a tree, it is one of the easiest large mammals to find along coastal trails and in the forests of the Caribbean and Pacific.
Meet the sloth
Bird · Parrots
Pairs and flocks fly over the Pacific forests of Carara, the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado at dawn and dusk, their raucous calls carrying for kilometres.
Meet the macaw
Bird · Toucans
A huge rainbow bill and yellow chest make it the toucan most visitors remember, seen in small flocks in lowland forest from Tortuguero to Arenal.
Meet the toucan
Mammal · Cats
The largest cat in the Americas lives in Costa Rica's biggest forests, especially the Osa Peninsula and Talamanca. It is rarely seen, which is part of its mystique.
Meet the jaguar
Mammal · Monkeys
The roar of the howler monkey carries across the forest at dawn. Groups are easy to find in the trees at Manuel Antonio, Corcovado, Tortuguero and Santa Rosa.
Meet the howlerA free field guide to 1,657 animals in Costa Rica: photos and identification notes for 259 mammals, 939 birds, 198 amphibians, 87 lizards, 156 snakes and 18 turtles and crocodiles, plus 23 of the best places to see wildlife in Costa Rica, a trip planner and a personal sightings log. Free, with no sign-up.
1,600+ mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians
Wildlife of Costa Rica is a free online field guide to the wildlife of Costa Rica: 1,657 species (259 mammals, 939 birds, 198 amphibians, 87 lizards, 156 snakes and 18 turtles and crocodiles) with photos and identification notes, 23 places to see wildlife, a trip planner and a personal sightings log. It is part of Wildlife of Everywhere, a family of free guides to wildlife destinations around the world.
Highlights include Tortuguero National Park (Limon), La Selva & Sarapiqui (Heredia), Braulio Carrillo National Park (San Jose / Heredia), Cahuita National Park (Limon) and Arenal Volcano National Park (Alajuela). The guide covers 23 places in all, each with the species it is known for and tips for visiting.
The guide's best places for the Resplendent Quetzal are Monteverde & Santa Elena Cloud Forests, Poas Volcano National Park, Tapanti-Macizo de la Muerte National Park and Savegre Valley & Los Quetzales. The best-known cloud forest in Central America, with trails and canopy walkways in mist-covered forest.
The guide's best places for the Red-eyed Tree Frog are La Selva & Sarapiqui, Arenal Volcano National Park and Osa Peninsula & Golfo Dulce. The Sarapiqui lowlands hold some of the richest bird and frog watching in the country.
The guide's best places for the Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth are Tortuguero National Park, La Selva & Sarapiqui, Cahuita National Park and Arenal Volcano National Park. A maze of canals and lagoons behind the Caribbean beach, reached only by boat or small plane.
Yes. The guide is free with no sign-up, and works in any phone, tablet or computer browser. Your trip plan and sightings log are saved on your own device.
Species list built from the Mammal Diversity Database, the Clements/eBird bird checklist, Catalogue of Life reptile and amphibian lists and GBIF records. Photos are openly licensed; tap the i on any photo for its credit. No conservation status is shown: this guide will use national lists only, and those are not yet included.
Yes. Use the contribution form to send photos, an album link, a trip report or a species that is missing. Every contribution is checked before it is added, you keep your copyright, and you are credited by name.
Many of Costa Rica's species still have no photo in this guide. If you have a good, openly licensed photo of one, we would love to use it, with credit.
