Blue-gray Tanagers - Our Friends in Nature The blue-gray tanager (Thraupis episcopus) is a medium-sized South American songbird of the tanager family, Thraupidae. The blue-gray tanager is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) long and weighs 30–40 g (1.1–1.4 oz). Adults have a light...

Coatis - Our Friends in Nature Coatis, also known as the coatimundis (/koʊˌɑːtɪˈmʌndi/),[1][2] are members of the raccoon family (Procyonidae) in the genera Nasua and Nasuella. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, and the southwestern...

Howler Monkeys - Our Friends in Nature Howler monkeys (genus Alouatta monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are among the largest of the New World monkeys. They are famous for their loud howls, which can travel three miles through dense rainforest. These monkeys are...

Scarlet Macaws - Our Friends in Nature The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large red, yellow, and blue Central and South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical Central and...

Blue-crowned Motmots - Our Friends in Nature The blue-capped motmot or blue-crowned motmot (Momotus coeruliceps) is a colorful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of eastern Mexico. This species and the Lesson's Motmot, Whooping Motmot, Trinidad Motmot,...

Resplendent Quetzals - Our Friends in Nature The resplendent quetzal ( /ˈkɛtsəl/) (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from Chiapas, Mexico to western Panama (unlike the other quetzals of the genus Pharomachrus, which are found in South...

Emerald Toucanets - Our Friends in Nature The emerald toucanet or northern emerald toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) is a species of near-passerine bird in the Ramphastidae family occurring in mountainous regions of Mexico and Central America. Several taxa formerly...

Coppery-headed Emeralds - Our Friends in Nature The coppery-headed emerald (Elvira cupreiceps) is a small hummingbird endemic to Costa Rica. It measures a mere 3 in (7.6 cm) in length, and weighs only 3 g (0.11 oz). The male has distinctive coppery crown and rump with...

Spider Monkeys - Our Friends in Nature Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus Ateles, part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to...

Chlorophonias - Our Friends in Nature Chlorophonia is a genus of finches in the family Fringillidae. First described by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1851, the Chlorophonias are endemic to the Neotropics. They are small, mostly bright green birds that inhabit humid...

Purple-throated Mountaingems - Our Friends in Nature The purple-throated mountaingem (Lampornis calolaemus) is a hummingbird which breeds in the mountains of southern Nicaragua, northern Costa Rica and western Panama. This bird inhabits forested areas in hilly...

Magenta-throated Woodstars - Our Friends in Nature The magenta-throated woodstar (Calliphlox bryantae) is a hummingbird that is a resident breeder in forest edge and scrub of the Talamancan montane forests. The 9 cm (3.5 in) long, 3.5 g (0.12 oz) male magenta-throated...

Chestnut-headed Oropendulas - Our Friends in Nature The chestnut-headed oropendola (Psarocolius wagleri) is a New World tropical icterid bird. The scientific name of the species commemorates Johann Georg Wagler, who established Psarocolius, the oropendola genus. The...

Guaria Moradas - Our Friends in Nature The Guaria Morada (Cattleya skinnier) is the Costa Rica National Flower. Costa Rica has a National Treasure that is not an animal. It is a beautiful purple orchid, one of many different types of orchids that can be found...

Yigüirros - Our Friends in Nature The clay-colored thrush (Turdus grayi) is a common Middle American bird of the thrush family (Turdidae). It is the national bird of Costa Rica, where it is well known as the yigüirro (Spanish: [ʝi'ɣwiro]). Other common names include...

Guanacaste Trees - Our Friends in Nature The national tree of Costa Rica is the Guanacaste, or Elephant Ear Tree. It is an impossible-to-miss flowering tree that is most known for its immensity, and characterized by a spherical crown. The Elephant Ear Tree is abundant...