Birds of Costa Rica

Grackle, Ani and Thick Knee

Populations of the Great-tailed Grackle have been increasing especially in the north of Costa Rica. Their voice is an exceedingly diverse repertoire of harsh rattles interspersed with sharp loud whistling notes.

The gregarious birds have well adapted to urban areas and their large, noisy roosts are frequently found in the central plaza of towns in the Northern Nicoya Peninsula.

The Grooved-billed Ani belongs to the cuckoo family. The social birds live in groups of two or three monogamous breeding pairs and their young. They lay their eggs in one communal nest and together incubate the eggs and care for the young.
A group of anis often accompanies army ants on their raid because they feed on the small animals which are stirred up by the insects.

The Squirrel Cuckoo is a common bird in Costa Rica that may be seen singly or in pairs in treetop foliage foraging for insects, and small spiders.

In Costa Rica the Double-striped Thick-knee is only found in the dry forest in Guanacaste. The monogamous birds are usually encountered in pairs but they are well camouflaged and difficult to spot in the grasslands. Their big eyes are an adaptation for feeding at night.