BLACK-HEADED TROGON, HOTEL RIU GUANACASTE AREA, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

   Even though this trogon never turned around so we could see its front, we can identify this trogon as a Black-headed Trogon from the part of its face showing and from its back.  The key field mark is the dark eye srrounded by a pale-blue orbital ring.  Also indicative of this trogon is the black head, long and broad rectangular tail, bluish neck and back and black wings.

   The Black-headed Trogon is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 

WHITE-THROATED MAGPIE-JAY, HOTEL RIU GUANACASTE AREA, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

   This beautiful White-throated Magpie-Jay is unmistakable.  The jay is blue, black and white with a very long tail and a black, blue and white curved plume on top of its head.  It also has a narrow band below the throat.

   The White-throated Magpie-Jay is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 295.

TURQUOISE-BROWED MOTMOTS, HOTEL RIU GUANACASTE AREA, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

    We can easily ID these beautiful birds as Turquoise-browed Motmots because of their distinctive coloring and distinctive tails.  The tail is very long with a large bare shaft in the center and with the tips of the tail shaped like rackets.  The bare feather shaft is the longer than in any of the other motmots.  The Turquoise-browed Motmot is mostly green-blue with a rufous back and belly.  The face is distinctive, with blue/white above the eye and a blue--bordered black patch on the throat.

   Both sexes of the Turquoise-browed Motmot have similar tails.  In the male the tail is used as a sexual symbol.  Males with the longest tails have greater success at attracting females.  In both sexes the tail is used as a wag-display, where it is moved back and forth.  This is used to warn off predators.

   The Turquoise-browed Motmot is the national bird of both El Salvador and Nicaragua.

   The Turquoise-browed Motmot is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 294.

RED-BILLED PIGEON, HOTEL RIU GUANACASTE AREA, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

   We can ID this pigeon as a Red-billed Pigeon by its mostly white bill with some dull red at the base, red legs and eyes and wine-purple and rusty tones on it.

RUFOUS-NAPED WREN & NEST, HOTEL RIU GUANACASTE AREA, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

   We can ID this wren as a Rufous-naped Wren because of its black-and-white striped head, baring on its wings and tail and downward curved bill.  The third and fourth photos show a nest of a Rufous-naped Wren.  We observed a wren going in and out of this nest.

JUVENILE MANGROVE SWALLOW, CURUBANDA LODGE PRESERVE, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

   We can ID this swallow as a Mangrove Swallow by its bright white rump and thin white eyebrow.  As a juvenile it is gray above and white below; it does not yet have the glossy blue-green above of the adult.  Also, it has an orange gape: colored gapes are more typical of juvenile birds.

NORTHERN JACANA, CURUBANDA LODGE PRESERVE, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

   Even though the photo is out of focus and somewhat grainy, we can ID this bird as a Northern Jacana because of its yellow bill, black head and neck, yellow frontal shield and rufous upperparts.

   The Northern Jacana is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 293.