Costa Rica — A Country Built on Biodiversity
Costa Rica covers just 0.03 percent of the Earth’s land surface. Yet it is home to nearly 6 percent of all known species on the planet. With over 940 recorded bird species, 232 mammal species, 225 reptile species, and 186 amphibian species, it is arguably the most biologically dense country in the world relative to its size. Nowhere else on Earth packs this much life into this little space.
I have visited Costa Rica three times, spending several months in total exploring its rainforests, river systems, and wetlands. Each visit was driven in part by the same goal: finding the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), the largest raptor in the Americas. Despite extensive searching across some of the most promising habitats in the country, the Harpy remained elusive. Costa Rica humbles you that way.
But what I found instead made every hour worthwhile.
Along the rivers and forest edges I encountered four species of kingfisher, each occupying its own ecological niche with remarkable precision. The Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata), the largest of the four, patrols wide open waterways. The Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) favours slower rivers and oxbow lakes. The Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) works the shaded stream margins, and the American Pygmy Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea) is so small and fast it takes patience and luck to find at all.
The toucans of Costa Rica are equally extraordinary. The Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), with its improbably colourful bill, is one of the most recognisable birds in the tropics. The Yellow-throated Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus) commands the upper canopy with its deep resonant calls. And the Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus), smaller and quieter than its relatives, glows an almost metallic green in the forest light.
Three visits. Several months. And still Costa Rica has not shown me everything. That, perhaps, is the point.
