Piedras Blancas National Park

National Park · Costa Rica

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Photo © Luis Ovalles

Photo © Luis Ovalles — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the Golfo Dulce meets the southwestern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Piedras Blancas National Park protects a dramatic transition zone where lowland rainforest descends toward mangrove-fringed estuaries and rocky coastal margins. The park's terrain is marked by steep, forested slopes that drain into tidal wetlands and shallow marine habitats, creating a mosaic of freshwater and brackish ecosystems within short distances of one another. The canopy here reaches cathedral heights, dense with the structural complexity that tropical wet forests demand—emergent trees rising above closed understories, epiphytic ferns and bromeliads festooning every bough, and a rich soil enriched by centuries of leaf fall. This ecological gradient supports an abundance of wildlife across multiple strata: arboreal mammals and primates move through the mid-story and crown, ground-dwelling mammals occupy the forest floor and understory margins, raptors hunt from open canopy gaps, and wading birds and herons work the shallow water margins where forest meets estuary. The convergence of these habitats—closed-canopy rainforest, open water, and tidal flats—creates exceptional hunting and foraging grounds for carnivorous birds and water-associated predators.

For wildlife photographers and birders, Piedras Blancas offers a rare opportunity to work multiple habitat types within a single protected area, with waterside light particularly rewarding during early morning and late afternoon sessions when wading birds and water-associated raptors are most active at the forest edge. The wet season, from May through November, brings peak insect activity and consequently draws aggregations of insectivorous birds and small flying mammals to forest clearings and riverside margins. Access via Golfito, the nearest regional hub, makes this park feasible for travelers combining coastal and rainforest wildlife viewing in a single itinerary. The park's position as a bridge between open water and closed forest canopy means that a single day's observations can encompass forest songbirds, canopy dwellers, water birds, and coastal specialists—a ecological diversity that few Central American protected areas can match.

Yellow-throated Toucan

Ramphastos ambiguus

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Ramphocelus passerinii

Rupornis magnirostris

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma mexicanum

Coragyps atratus

Fiery-billed Aracari

Pteroglossus frantzii

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Lesson's Motmot

Momotus lessonii

Grey-cowled Wood Rail

Aramides cajaneus

Grey-headed Chachalaca

Ortalis cinereiceps

Red-capped Manakin

Ceratopipra mentalis

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Brotogeris jugularis

Lineated Woodpecker

Dryocopus lineatus

Long-billed Hermit

Phaethornis longirostris

Velvety Manakin

Lepidothrix velutina

Laughing Falcon

Herpetotheres cachinnans

Gartered Trogon

Trogon caligatus

Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

Tropical Mockingbird

Tropical Screech Owl

Megascops choliba

Stripe-throated Hermit

Phaethornis striigularis

Common Black Hawk

Buteogallus anthracinus

American White Ibis

Eudocimus albus

Pitangus sulphuratus

Penelope purpurascens

Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americana

Black-hooded Antshrike

Thamnophilus bridgesi

Coereba flaveola

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Campephilus guatemalensis

Cantorchilus semibadius

White-tipped Dove

Leptotila verreauxi

Lophostrix cristata

Sarcoramphus papa

Boat-billed Heron

Cochlearius cochlearius

Spot-crowned Euphonia

Euphonia imitans

Roseate Spoonbill

Pulsatrix perspicillata

Yellow-headed Caracara

Daptrius chimachima

Northern Black-throated Trogon

Trogon tenellus

Red-lored Amazon

Amazona autumnalis

Variable Seedeater

Sporophila corvina

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Golden-naped Woodpecker

Melanerpes chrysauchen

Thraupis palmarum

Southern House Wren

Troglodytes musculus

Pale-vented Pigeon

Patagioenas cayennensis

Western Cattle Egret

Finsch's Parakeet

Psittacara finschi

Orange-billed Sparrow

Arremon aurantiirostris

Red-crowned Woodpecker

Melanerpes rubricapillus

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Amazilia tzacatl

Blue-grey Tanager

Thraupis episcopus

Social Flycatcher

Myiozetetes similis

Green Honeycreeper

Chlorophanes spiza

Double-toothed Kite

Harpagus bidentatus

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Pelecanus occidentalis

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

Blue-black Grassquit

Volatinia jacarina

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Butorides virescens

Ruddy Ground Dove

Columbina talpacoti

Charming Hummingbird

Polyerata decora

Golden-hooded Tanager

Stilpnia larvata

Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

Grey-capped Flycatcher

Myiozetetes granadensis

Southern Lapwing

Vanellus chilensis

Clay-colored Thrush

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Chestnut-backed Antbird

Poliocrania exsul

Northern Jacana

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Cocoa Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus susurrans

White-crowned Parrot

White-whiskered Puffbird

Malacoptila panamensis

Grey-headed Tanager

Eucometis penicillata

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum cinereum

Black-striped Sparrow

Arremonops conirostris

Amazon Kingfisher

Chloroceryle amazona

Pandion haliaetus

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Galbula ruficauda

Silver-throated Tanager

Tangara icterocephala

Crowned Woodnymph

Thalurania colombica

White-necked Puffbird

Notharchus hyperrhynchus

Pseudastur albicollis

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Short-billed Pigeon

Patagioenas nigrirostris

Bright-rumped Attila

Attila spadiceus

Crypturellus soui

Piratic Flycatcher

Legatus leucophaius

Scarlet-rumped Cacique

Cacicus uropygialis

Black-faced Antthrush

Formicarius analis

Band-tailed Barbthroat

Threnetes ruckeri

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Megarynchus pitangua

Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Amazona farinosa

Mangrove Swallow

Tachycineta albilinea

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Grey-breasted Martin

Progne chalybea

Smooth-billed Ani

Buff-throated Saltator

Saltator maximus

White-necked Jacobin

Florisuga mellivora

Nyctidromus albicollis

Tityra semifasciata

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Cyanerpes cyaneus

Streaked Flycatcher

Myiodynastes maculatus

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Nyctibius griseus

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Tringa semipalmata

Swallow-tailed Kite

Elanoides forficatus

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Orange-collared Manakin

Manacus aurantiacus

Thick-billed Euphonia

Euphonia laniirostris

Turquoise Cotinga

Cotinga ridgwayi

Leucophaeus atricilla

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Costa Rican Swift

Chaetura fumosa

Purple-crowned Fairy

Heliothryx barroti

White-crested Coquette

Lophornis adorabilis

Long-billed Starthroat

Heliomaster longirostris

Violet-headed Hummingbird

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Phaeochroa cuvierii

Blue-throated Sapphire

Chlorestes eliciae

Blue Ground Dove

Claravis pretiosa

Grey-chested Dove

Leptotila cassinii

Pluvialis squatarola

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Wilson's Plover

Anarhynchus wilsonia

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Western Sandpiper

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Blue-footed Booby

Great Blue Heron

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Choco Screech Owl

Megascops centralis

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Chloroceryle aenea

Rufous-winged Woodpecker

Piculus simplex

Collared Forest Falcon

Micrastur semitorquatus

Tawny-winged Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla anabatina

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

Glyphorynchus spirurus

Northern Barred Woodcreeper

Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae

Black-striped Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus

Northern Plain Xenops

Xenops mexicanus

Bicolored Antbird

Gymnopithys bicolor

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Elaenia flavogaster

Mistletoe Tyrannulet

Zimmerius parvus

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher

Mionectes oleagineus

Eye-ringed Flatbill

Rhynchocyclus brevirostris

Yellow-olive Flatbill

Tolmomyias sulphurescens

Golden-crowned Spadebill

Platyrinchus coronatus

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Empidonax flaviventris

Rusty-margined Flycatcher

Myiozetetes cayanensis

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Myiarchus tuberculifer

Panama Flycatcher

Myiarchus panamensis

Rose-throated Becard

Pachyramphus aglaiae

Tropical Royal Flycatcher

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Sulphur-rumped Myiobius

Myiobius sulphureipygius

Ochre-crowned Greenlet

Tunchiornis ochraceiceps

Lesser Greenlet

Pachysylvia decurtata

Black-bellied Wren

Pheugopedius fasciatoventris

Cantorchilus elutus

White-browed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila bilineata

Yellow-crowned Euphonia

Euphonia luteicapilla

Crested Oropendola

Psarocolius decumanus

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Blue-black Grosbeak

Cyanoloxia cyanoides

White-shouldered Tanager

Loriotus luctuosus

Yellow-bellied Seedeater

Sporophila nigricollis

Slate-colored Seedeater

Sporophila schistacea

Bay-headed Tanager

White-throated Thrush

Turdus assimilis

Cairina moschata

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

Rufous Nightjar

Antrostomus rufus

Spot-fronted Swift

Cypseloides cherriei

American Black Swift

Cypseloides niger

White-collared Swift

Streptoprocne zonaris

Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

Panyptila cayennensis

White-tipped Sicklebill

Eutoxeres aquila

Phaethornis guy

Anthracothorax veraguensis

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Chlorostilbon assimilis

Snowy-bellied Hummingbird

Saucerottia edward

Sapphire-throated Hummingbird

Chrysuronia coeruleogularis

Mangrove Cuckoo

Band-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas fasciata

Plain-breasted Ground Dove

Columbina minuta

Ruddy Quail-Dove

Geotrygon montana

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Amaurolimnas concolor

Porzana carolina

Grey-breasted Crake

Laterallus exilis

White-throated Crake

Laterallus albigularis

Tachybaptus dominicus

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

Charadrius vociferus

Gallinago delicata

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Onychoprion anaethetus

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias niger

Thalasseus elegans

Thalasseus maximus

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Eurypyga helias

Galapagos Shearwater

Puffinus subalaris

Mycteria americana

Anhinga anhinga

Mesembrinibis cayennensis

Plegadis falcinellus

Fasciated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma fasciatum

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Egretta rufescens

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Hook-billed Kite

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Grey-headed Kite

Leptodon cayanensis

Black Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus tyrannus

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus ornatus

Microspizias superciliosus

Morphnarchus princeps

Buteogallus meridionalis

Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus

Black-and-white Owl

Strix nigrolineata

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Olivaceous Piculet

Picumnus olivaceus

Red-rumped Woodpecker

Veniliornis kirkii

Barred Forest Falcon

Micrastur ruficollis

Falco rufigularis

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Brown-hooded Parrot

Pyrilia haematotis

Blue-headed Parrot

Pionus menstruus

Brown-throated Parakeet

Eupsittula pertinax

Scaly-throated Leaftosser

Sclerurus guatemalensis

Ruddy Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla homochroa

Brown-billed Scythebill

Campylorhamphus pusillus

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Lepidocolaptes souleyetii

Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner

Automolus exsertus

Western Woodhaunter

Automolus virgatus

Slaty Spinetail

Synallaxis brachyura

Pale-breasted Spinetail

Synallaxis albescens

Russet Antshrike

Thamnistes anabatinus

Dot-winged Antwren

Microrhopias quixensis

Myrmotherula schisticolor

Dysithamnus mentalis

Barred Antshrike

Thamnophilus doliatus

Great Antshrike

Cercomacroides tyrannina

Streak-chested Antpitta

Hylopezus perspicillatus

Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet

Tyrannulus elatus

Greenish Elaenia

Myiopagis viridicata

Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet

Ornithion semiflavum

Southern Beardless Tyrannulet

Camptostoma obsoletum

Yellow Tyrannulet

Capsiempis flaveola

Northern Bentbill

Oncostoma cinereigulare

Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant

Lophotriccus pileatus

Slaty-headed Tody-Flycatcher

Poecilotriccus sylvia

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Eastern Wood Pewee

Contopus virens

Northern Tropical Pewee

Contopus bogotensis

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

Myiodynastes luteiventris

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Rhytipterna holerythra

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

Lipaugus unirufus

Three-wattled Bellbird

Procnias tricarunculatus

Yellow-billed Cotinga

Carpodectes antoniae

White-ruffed Manakin

Corapipo altera

Black-crowned Tityra

Tityra inquisitor

Northern Schiffornis

Schiffornis veraepacis

Cinnamon Becard

Pachyramphus cinnamomeus

White-winged Becard

Pachyramphus polychopterus

Black-tailed Myiobius

Myiobius atricaudus

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher

Terenotriccus erythrurus

Green Shrike-Vireo

Vireolanius pulchellus

Hylophilus flavipes

Yellow-green Vireo

Vireo flavoviridis

Vireo olivaceus

Philadelphia Vireo

Vireo philadelphicus

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

White-throated Magpie-Jay

Cyanocorax formosus

Cyanocorax morio

Riparia riparia

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx ruficollis

Hirundo rustica

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

White-breasted Wood Wren

Henicorhina leucosticta

Southern Nightingale-Wren

Microcerculus marginatus

Trilling Gnatwren

Ramphocaenus melanurus

Hylocichla mustelina

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Passer domesticus

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

White-vented Euphonia

Euphonia minuta

Grasshopper Sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Red-breasted Meadowlark

Leistes militaris

Yellow-billed Cacique

Amblycercus holosericeus

Chestnut-headed Oropendola

Psarocolius wagleri

Montezuma Oropendola

Psarocolius montezuma

Icterus spurius

Molothrus oryzivorus

Molothrus bonariensis

Bronzed Cowbird

Molothrus aeneus

Melodious Blackbird

Worm-eating Warbler

Helmitheros vermivorum

Louisiana Waterthrush

Parkesia motacilla

Golden-winged Warbler

Vermivora chrysoptera

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Grey-crowned Yellowthroat

Geothlypis poliocephala

Mourning Warbler

Geothlypis philadelphia

Kentucky Warbler

Geothlypis formosa

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

Yellow-throated Warbler

Setophaga dominica

Black-throated Green Warbler

Setophaga virens

Cardellina canadensis

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Passerina caerulea

Passerina cyanea

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Shining Honeycreeper

Cyanerpes lucidus

Scarlet-thighed Dacnis

Streaked Saltator

Saltator striatipectus

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Tiaris olivaceus

White-lined Tanager

Tachyphonus rufus

White-throated Shrike-Tanager

Lanio leucothorax

Morelet's Seedeater

Sporophila morelleti

Thick-billed Seed Finch

Sporophila funerea

Ruddy-breasted Seedeater

Sporophila minuta

Short-tailed Nighthawk

Lurocalis semitorquatus

Groove-billed Ani

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Common Ground Dove

Columbina passerina

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Butorides striata

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Blue-and-white Swallow

Pygochelidon cyanoleuca

Tricolored Munia

Lonchura malacca

Yellow-throated Euphonia

Euphonia hirundinacea

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Alouatta palliata

White-nosed Coati

Central American Squirrel Monkey

Saimiri oerstedii

Central American Agouti

Dasyprocta punctata

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth

Choloepus hoffmanni

Leopardus pardalis

Derby's Woolly Opossum

Caluromys derbianus

Central American Spider Monkey

Ateles geoffroyi

Northern Tamandua

Tamandua mexicana

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth

Bradypus variegatus

Mexican Red Brocket

Red-tailed Squirrel

Sciurus granatensis

Northern Raccoon

Sumichrast's Vesper Rat

Nyctomys sumichrasti

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

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Pacific Tent-making Bat

Uroderma convexum

Crab-eating Raccoon

Procyon cancrivorus

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