Living Around Lake Arenal in Costa Rica Is A Dream Come True For Birdwatchers

Visitors from all over the world come to Lake Arenal hoping to get a glimpse of the hundreds of species of birds that populate the area.

Whereas people that flock here from the four corners and pay good money to see toucans, quetzals, hummingbirds and more, if you’re lucky enough to live on the lake, you’ll undoubtedly be taking your morning coffee with many of these feathered friend.

Here’s a short list of just a few birds you should expect to see when you live around Lake Arenal.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are in no shortage around the lake since the abundance of flowers and small insects provides ample food.

With the variety of hummingbirds around Lake Arenal, you’re sure to see the entire spectrum of colors.

The Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer is easily recognized by the stark contrast in its dark tail feathers, emerald throat and chest and bright pink feet.

The Violet-headed hummingbird is always a treat to see with it’s iridescent green body and purple-hued head.

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your neighborhood at Lake Arenal, stop by a vivero and ask which flowers you should be planting in your yard.

Quetzal

Birdwatchers from around the world come to Costa Rica to catch a sighting of the beautiful Resplendent Quetzal.

Since pre-Columbian times, this beautiful bird has been favored for its sheer beauty.

Its bright orange breast and iridescent green and blue feathers make this bird’s plumage prized by collectors. But here at Lake Arenal, visitors can only look, not touch the elusive quetzal.

Tiger Heron

Head out to Lake Arenal’s shoreline to see if you can spot a majestic Tiger Heron looking for its meal.

The bird typically dines on fish and large insects. These birds are known to frequent rocky streams and shorelines, and standing at 2 feet tall, they are the smallest of the species of Tiger Herons.

When its neck is fully extended, the stunning stripes make it easy to see how this bird got its name.

Crested Guan

You’ll probably hear the honking and crying in the treetops of the Crested Guan before you see one.

Once you recognize their signature sound, you’ll be scouring the area looking for a small group of these birds forging for fruit among the branches, and sometimes even scouring the ground for fallen food.

Their color way is overall rather dark, with the exception of small white patches scattered on their chest and a ruby red throat.

Motmot

To the casual observer, Motmots and Quetzals look a lot alike. The long beautiful tail feathers and the bright orange, blue and green plumage make them almost interchangeable to the untrained eye.

You’ll be able to see two distinct species here around the lake: the smaller Broad-billed Motmot and the larger, brighter Rufous Motmot. But here’s a quick trick to tell quetzals and motmots apart.

Both species of motsmots around Lake Arenal have orange heads and green and blue bodies, wings and tail feathers. The quetzal is orange breasted and bright blue and green everywhere else.

When you’re ready to have these birds and more as your neighbors and houseguests, contact Costa Rica Lake Properties to learn more about how affordable it is to move to Lake Arenal.

Living Around Lake Arenal in Costa Rica Is A Dream Come True For Birdwatchers.

Article/Property ID Number 5248

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.