Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Sanctuary · Costa Rica

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Photo © caspar s

Photo © caspar s — CC BY 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the Caribbean's restless waters meet the Limón Province coastline, Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Sanctuary unfolds across a landscape of extraordinary ecological complexity. This equatorial refuge experiences year-round rainfall under an Af climate classification, creating conditions where water never abandons the terrain and vegetation remains perpetually verdant. The sanctuary encompasses tidal creeks, mangrove forests of haunting beauty, and freshwater wetlands that form a labyrinth of channels threading through dense vegetation. Inland, lowland rainforest closes overhead, its canopy creating a humid, dimly lit world where every surface—bark, leaf, fallen log—teems with life. The hydrology here is extraordinary: multiple river systems snake through the reserve, their mouths opening directly to the Caribbean, creating ecotones where freshwater and salt water interact in endless complexity. Wildlife adapted to these flooded forests thrive in abundance—arboreal mammals navigate the canopy, aquatic birds work the waterways and forest pools, snakes of multiple guilds hunt among the tangles, and large predatory fish patrol the deeper channels. Insects reach bewildering diversity, their abundance driving the food webs that sustain everything above them.

For wildlife photographers and serious birders, the sanctuary demands patience and respect. The landscape's labyrinthine waterways require boat navigation, placing observers at eye level with the canopy and allowing intimate approach to birds of prey, waders, waterbirds, and the riparian specialists that seldom tolerate human proximity elsewhere. The year-round absence of a dry season means water levels fluctuate but never disappear, maintaining habitat continuity that sustains resident populations alongside migratory arrivals. The quality of light in this landscape—filtered through a perpetual veil of humidity and vegetation—demands technical discipline but rewards it with ethereal, atmospheric imagery impossible to capture elsewhere. Access remains deliberately limited, preserving the sanctuary's wild character and ensuring that those who venture here experience a refuge that has resisted the pressures of development. Guided boat expeditions from nearby settlements form the gateway, and timing visits during periods of stable water levels optimizes both wildlife activity and photography conditions.

Keel-billed Toucan

Ramphastos sulfuratus

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Cairina moschata

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Grey-headed Chachalaca

Ortalis cinereiceps

Penelope purpurascens

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Short-tailed Nighthawk

Lurocalis semitorquatus

Nyctidromus albicollis

Steatornis caripensis

Nyctibius grandis

Nyctibius griseus

White-collared Swift

Streptoprocne zonaris

Grey-rumped Swift

Chaetura cinereiventris

Chaetura pelagica

Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

Panyptila cayennensis

White-necked Jacobin

Florisuga mellivora

Band-tailed Barbthroat

Threnetes ruckeri

Stripe-throated Hermit

Phaethornis striigularis

Long-billed Hermit

Phaethornis longirostris

Green-breasted Mango

Anthracothorax prevostii

Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer

Chalybura urochrysia

Crowned Woodnymph

Thalurania colombica

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Phaeochroa cuvierii

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Amazilia tzacatl

Blue-throated Sapphire

Chlorestes eliciae

Crotophaga major

Groove-billed Ani

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Mangrove Cuckoo

White-crowned Pigeon

Patagioenas leucocephala

Pale-vented Pigeon

Patagioenas cayennensis

Red-billed Pigeon

Patagioenas flavirostris

Short-billed Pigeon

Patagioenas nigrirostris

Ruddy Ground Dove

Columbina talpacoti

Grey-chested Dove

Leptotila cassinii

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Heliornis fulica

Russet-naped Wood Rail

Aramides albiventris

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

White-throated Crake

Laterallus albigularis

Aramus guarauna

Tachybaptus dominicus

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Pluvialis squatarola

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Southern Lapwing

Vanellus chilensis

Northern Jacana

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Tringa semipalmata

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias niger

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Thalasseus maximus

Leucophaeus atricilla

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Lesser Black-backed Gull

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Mycteria americana

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

Red-footed Booby

Sula leucogaster

Anhinga anhinga

Mesembrinibis cayennensis

Roseate Spoonbill

Rufescent Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma lineatum

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma mexicanum

Boat-billed Heron

Cochlearius cochlearius

Pinnated Bittern

Botaurus pinnatus

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Butorides virescens

Great Blue Heron

Pelecanus occidentalis

Sarcoramphus papa

Coragyps atratus

Pandion haliaetus

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Grey-headed Kite

Leptodon cayanensis

Swallow-tailed Kite

Elanoides forficatus

Black Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus tyrannus

Double-toothed Kite

Harpagus bidentatus

Ictinia plumbea

Rostrhamus sociabilis

Great Black Hawk

Buteogallus urubitinga

Rupornis magnirostris

Semiplumbeous Hawk

Leucopternis semiplumbeus

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Pacific Screech Owl

Megascops cooperi

Pulsatrix perspicillata

Lophostrix cristata

Black-and-white Owl

Strix nigrolineata

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Black-headed Trogon

Trogon melanocephalus

Gartered Trogon

Trogon caligatus

Northern Black-throated Trogon

Trogon tenellus

Amazon Kingfisher

Chloroceryle amazona

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Chloroceryle aenea

Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americana

Green-and-rufous Kingfisher

Chloroceryle inda

Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Baryphthengus martii

Broad-billed Motmot

Electron platyrhynchum

White-necked Puffbird

Notharchus hyperrhynchus

White-whiskered Puffbird

Malacoptila panamensis

White-fronted Nunbird

Monasa morphoeus

Collared Aracari

Pteroglossus torquatus

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Melanerpes pucherani

Hoffmann's Woodpecker

Melanerpes hoffmannii

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Rufous-winged Woodpecker

Piculus simplex

Cinnamon Woodpecker

Celeus loricatus

Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

Celeus castaneus

Lineated Woodpecker

Dryocopus lineatus

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Campephilus guatemalensis

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Laughing Falcon

Herpetotheres cachinnans

Collared Forest Falcon

Micrastur semitorquatus

Falco columbarius

Falco rufigularis

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Brotogeris jugularis

Brown-hooded Parrot

Pyrilia haematotis

White-crowned Parrot

Red-lored Amazon

Amazona autumnalis

Olive-throated Parakeet

Eupsittula nana

Finsch's Parakeet

Psittacara finschi

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

Glyphorynchus spirurus

Northern Barred Woodcreeper

Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae

Black-striped Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Lepidocolaptes souleyetii

Slaty Spinetail

Synallaxis brachyura

White-flanked Antwren

Myrmotherula axillaris

Barred Antshrike

Thamnophilus doliatus

Black-crowned Antshrike

Thamnophilus atrinucha

Bicolored Antbird

Gymnopithys bicolor

Spotted Antbird

Hylophylax naevioides

Chestnut-backed Antbird

Poliocrania exsul

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Elaenia flavogaster

Yellow Tyrannulet

Capsiempis flaveola

Mistletoe Tyrannulet

Zimmerius parvus

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher

Mionectes oleagineus

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum cinereum

Eye-ringed Flatbill

Rhynchocyclus brevirostris

Eastern Wood Pewee

Contopus virens

Northern Tropical Pewee

Contopus bogotensis

Long-tailed Tyrant

Colonia colonus

Social Flycatcher

Myiozetetes similis

Grey-capped Flycatcher

Myiozetetes granadensis

Pitangus sulphuratus

White-ringed Flycatcher

Conopias albovittatus

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

Myiodynastes luteiventris

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Megarynchus pitangua

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Tyrannus dominicensis

Rhytipterna holerythra

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Myiarchus tuberculifer

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

Bright-rumped Attila

Attila spadiceus

Purple-throated Fruitcrow

Querula purpurata

Carpodectes nitidus

White-collared Manakin

Red-capped Manakin

Ceratopipra mentalis

Tityra semifasciata

Cinnamon Becard

Pachyramphus cinnamomeus

Lesser Greenlet

Pachysylvia decurtata

Yellow-green Vireo

Vireo flavoviridis

Vireo olivaceus

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

White-throated Magpie-Jay

Cyanocorax formosus

Cyanocorax morio

Mangrove Swallow

Tachycineta albilinea

Grey-breasted Martin

Progne chalybea

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx ruficollis

Hirundo rustica

Cantorchilus nigricapillus

Stripe-breasted Wren

Cantorchilus thoracicus

Southern House Wren

Troglodytes musculus

White-breasted Wood Wren

Henicorhina leucosticta

Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus

White-browed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila bilineata

Dumetella carolinensis

Tropical Mockingbird

Hylocichla mustelina

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Catharus minimus

Catharus fuscescens

Clay-colored Thrush

Passer domesticus

Yellow-throated Euphonia

Euphonia hirundinacea

Olive-backed Euphonia

Euphonia gouldi

Yellow-breasted Chat

Red-breasted Meadowlark

Leistes militaris

Chestnut-headed Oropendola

Psarocolius wagleri

Montezuma Oropendola

Psarocolius montezuma

Scarlet-rumped Cacique

Cacicus uropygialis

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Yellow-tailed Oriole

Icterus mesomelas

Black-cowled Oriole

Icterus prosthemelas

Icterus spurius

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Molothrus oryzivorus

Molothrus bonariensis

Bronzed Cowbird

Molothrus aeneus

Melodious Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Louisiana Waterthrush

Parkesia motacilla

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

Kentucky Warbler

Geothlypis formosa

Olive-crowned Yellowthroat

Geothlypis semiflava

Setophaga citrina

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Setophaga palmarum

Yellow-throated Warbler

Setophaga dominica

Buff-rumped Warbler

Myiothlypis fulvicauda

Cardellina canadensis

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Black-faced Grosbeak

Caryothraustes poliogaster

Spiza americana

Passerina caerulea

Green Honeycreeper

Chlorophanes spiza

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Cyanerpes cyaneus

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator

Saltator grandis

Coereba flaveola

Blue-black Grassquit

Volatinia jacarina

Variable Seedeater

Sporophila corvina

Thick-billed Seed Finch

Sporophila funerea

Nicaraguan Seed Finch

Sporophila nuttingi

Blue-grey Tanager

Thraupis episcopus

Yellow-winged Tanager

Golden-hooded Tanager

Stilpnia larvata

Plain-colored Tanager

Tangara inornata

Pseudastur albicollis

Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus

Yellow-olive Flatbill

Tolmomyias sulphurescens

Yellow-winged Flatbill

Tolmomyias flavotectus

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Empidonax flaviventris

Acadian Flycatcher

Empidonax virescens

Yellow-crowned Euphonia

Euphonia luteicapilla

Crypturellus soui

Slaty-breasted Tinamou

Crypturellus boucardi

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Chuck-will's-widow

Antrostomus carolinensis

Spot-fronted Swift

Cypseloides cherriei

American Black Swift

Cypseloides niger

Chestnut-collared Swift

Streptoprocne rutila

Phaethornis guy

Purple-crowned Fairy

Heliothryx barroti

Long-billed Starthroat

Heliomaster longirostris

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Violet-headed Hummingbird

Blue-vented Hummingbird

Saucerottia hoffmanni

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Polyerata amabilis

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus

Patagioenas speciosa

Blue Ground Dove

Claravis pretiosa

Ruddy Quail-Dove

Geotrygon montana

Olive-backed Quail-Dove

Leptotrygon veraguensis

Amaurolimnas concolor

Porzana carolina

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

Fulica americana

Grey-breasted Crake

Laterallus exilis

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

American Golden Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Charadrius vociferus

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Gallinago delicata

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Onychoprion fuscatus

Sternula antillarum

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Sterna forsteri

Thalasseus elegans

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Eurypyga helias

Spectacled Petrel

Procellaria conspicillata

Jabiru mycteria

American White Ibis

Eudocimus albus

Fasciated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma fasciatum

Egretta rufescens

Butorides striata

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes burrovianus

Hook-billed Kite

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Morphnus guianensis

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus ornatus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Microspizias superciliosus

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Geranospiza caerulescens

Parabuteo unicinctus

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

American Barn Owl

Central American Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium griseiceps

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium brasilianum

Middle American Screech Owl

Megascops guatemalae

Amazonian Black-throated Trogon

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Galbula ruficauda

Notharchus tectus

Yellow-throated Toucan

Ramphastos ambiguus

Olivaceous Piculet

Picumnus olivaceus

Golden-olive Woodpecker

Colaptes rubiginosus

Red-throated Caracara

Ibycter americanus

Barred Forest Falcon

Micrastur ruficollis

Slaty-backed Forest Falcon

Micrastur mirandollei

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Blue-headed Parrot

Pionus menstruus

Amazona farinosa

Great Green Macaw

Scaly-throated Leaftosser

Sclerurus guatemalensis

Olivaceous Woodcreeper

Sittasomus griseicapillus

Plain-brown Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla fuliginosa

Cocoa Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus susurrans

Spotted Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus erythropygius

Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner

Automolus cervinigularis

Russet Antshrike

Thamnistes anabatinus

Dot-winged Antwren

Microrhopias quixensis

Checker-throated Stipplethroat

Epinecrophylla fulviventris

Streak-crowned Antvireo

Dysithamnus striaticeps

Fasciated Antshrike

Cymbilaimus lineatus

Great Antshrike

Ocellated Antbird

Phaenostictus mcleannani

Cercomacroides tyrannina

Bare-crowned Antbird

Gymnocichla nudiceps

Black-faced Antthrush

Formicarius analis

Thicket Antpitta

Myrmothera dives

Grey-headed Piprites

Piprites griseiceps

Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet

Ornithion semiflavum

Brown-capped Tyrannulet

Ornithion brunneicapillus

Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant

Myiornis atricapillus

Northern Bentbill

Oncostoma cinereigulare

Slaty-headed Tody-Flycatcher

Poecilotriccus sylvia

Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum nigriceps

Golden-crowned Spadebill

Platyrinchus coronatus

Tawny-chested Flycatcher

Aphanotriccus capitalis

Sayornis nigricans

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Alder Flycatcher

Empidonax alnorum

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Buff-breasted Flycatcher

Empidonax fulvifrons

Piratic Flycatcher

Legatus leucophaius

Streaked Flycatcher

Myiodynastes maculatus

Sulphury Flycatcher

Tyrannopsis sulphurea

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Lipaugus unirufus

Three-wattled Bellbird

Procnias tricarunculatus

White-ruffed Manakin

Corapipo altera

Northern Schiffornis

Schiffornis veraepacis

White-winged Becard

Pachyramphus polychopterus

Rose-throated Becard

Pachyramphus aglaiae

Sulphur-rumped Myiobius

Myiobius sulphureipygius

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher

Terenotriccus erythrurus

Green Shrike-Vireo

Vireolanius pulchellus

Philadelphia Vireo

Vireo philadelphicus

Bombycilla cedrorum

Riparia riparia

Tachycineta bicolor

Blue-and-white Swallow

Pygochelidon cyanoleuca

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Band-backed Wren

Campylorhynchus zonatus

Black-throated Wren

Pheugopedius atrogularis

Cantorchilus zeledoni

Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Trilling Gnatwren

Ramphocaenus melanurus

Tawny-faced Gnatwren

Microbates cinereiventris

Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Catharus aurantiirostris

White-vented Euphonia

Euphonia minuta

Orange-billed Sparrow

Arremon aurantiirostris

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Zonotrichia capensis

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Yellow-billed Cacique

Amblycercus holosericeus

Seiurus aurocapilla

Worm-eating Warbler

Helmitheros vermivorum

Golden-winged Warbler

Vermivora chrysoptera

Blue-winged Warbler

Vermivora cyanoptera

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Grey-crowned Yellowthroat

Geothlypis poliocephala

Mourning Warbler

Geothlypis philadelphia

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Cerulean Warbler

Setophaga cerulea

Dusky-faced Tanager

Mitrospingus cassinii

Carmiol's Tanager

Chlorothraupis carmioli

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Blue-black Grosbeak

Cyanoloxia cyanoides

Passerina cyanea

Shining Honeycreeper

Cyanerpes lucidus

Scarlet-thighed Dacnis

Buff-throated Saltator

Saltator maximus

Black-headed Saltator

Saltator atriceps

Slate-colored Grosbeak

Saltator grossus

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Tiaris olivaceus

White-shouldered Tanager

Loriotus luctuosus

Tawny-crested Tanager

Tachyphonus delatrii

White-lined Tanager

Tachyphonus rufus

White-throated Shrike-Tanager

Lanio leucothorax

Crimson-collared Tanager

Ramphocelus sanguinolentus

Morelet's Seedeater

Sporophila morelleti

Slate-colored Seedeater

Sporophila schistacea

Bay-headed Tanager

White-faced Capuchin

Cebus capucinus

Alouatta palliata

Derby's Woolly Opossum

Caluromys derbianus

Northern Black-eared Opossum

Didelphis marsupialis

Dark Four-eyed Opossum

Philander melanurus

Mexican Mouse Opossum

Marmosa mexicana

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth

Bradypus variegatus

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth

Choloepus hoffmanni

Northern Tamandua

Tamandua mexicana

Central American Agouti

Dasyprocta punctata

Mexican Hairy Porcupine

Coendou mexicanus

Variegated Squirrel

Sciurus variegatoides

Chestnut Sac-winged Bat

Cormura brevirostris

Rhynchonycteris naso

Greater Sac-winged Bat

Saccopteryx bilineata

Common Vampire Bat

Desmodus rotundus

Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat

Artibeus jamaicensis

Common Tent-making Bat

Uroderma bilobatum

Striped Yellow-eared Bat

Vampyriscus nymphaeus

Peters's Disk-winged Bat

Thyroptera discifera

Northern Neotropical River Otter

Lontra annectens

White-nosed Coati

Northern Raccoon

Leopardus pardalis

Mexican Red Brocket

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Gray Four-eyed Opossum

Philander opossum

West Indian Manatee

Trichechus manatus

Central American Spider Monkey

Ateles geoffroyi

Honduran White Bat

Ectophylla alba

Central Neotropical River Otter

Lontra longicaudis

Central American Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Sotalia guianensis

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