Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Red-capped Manakin (Ceratopipra mentalis)Red-capped Manakin

Costa Rica bird species · Cotingas, manakins and tityras

Cotingas, manakins and tityras in Costa Rica: all 30 species, and where to see them

30 species, 6 found only in this corner of the world, and a call heard from 800 metres away.

Costa Rica's official list has 30 birds in this group, in 5 families, about one bird in every 31 on it: 8 manakins, 8 cotingas, 9 tityras and becards, 4 of the flycatchers the list places beside them, and the Sharpbill. Three have a page of ours so far, and each is a show of its own.

The male Long-tailed Manakin, about 10 cm and 18 g, dances beside a partner for one female, and the pair stays together for the long term. The Bare-necked Umbrellabird is black and built like a crow, about 41 cm for the male, with a crest shaped like an umbrella. The Three-wattled Bellbird gives one hollow bonk that people hear from more than 800 metres away, long before anyone finds the bird.

Six of the 30 are regional endemics, which means they live only in this small corner of the world: five cotingas, the umbrellabird and the bellbird among them, and the Orange-collared Manakin. Where our hotspot pages name them, they sit in three corners of the country: the Caribbean slope at Arenal and Braulio Carrillo, the Monteverde cloud forest, and the south Pacific, from Hacienda Barú to the Osa.

Where to see them

The dry forest has the Long-tailed Manakin, the cloud forest has the bellbird, and the wet Caribbean slope has the umbrellabird and the Lovely Cotinga. These are the places where we name them.

Map of Costa Rica with the 18 places where we name cotingas, manakins and tityras, numbered, over the five birding zones
Braulio Carrillo National ParkTortuguero National Park and its canalsRincón de la Vieja National ParkCarara National ParkMarino Ballena National Park and Bahía BallenaHacienda Barú National Wildlife RefugeCorcovado National Park and the OsaLos Cusingos and the San Isidro valley
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
  • Place where we name them
  • Highlands
  • Caribbean Foothills
  • Caribbean Lowlands
  • Northern Pacific Lowlands
  • Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands
  1. 1Monteverde Cloud Forest ReserveHighlandsThree-wattled Bellbird
  2. 2Santa Elena Cloud Forest ReserveHighlandsThree-wattled Bellbird
  3. 3Curi-Cancha Reserve, MonteverdeHighlandsThree-wattled Bellbird
  4. 4Arenal Volcano National ParkCaribbean LowlandsBare-necked Umbrellabird, Lovely Cotinga, Cinnamon Becard, Sharpbill
  5. 5La Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsPurple-throated Fruitcrow, Snowy Cotinga, Sharpbill, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
  6. 6Braulio Carrillo National ParkCaribbean LowlandsWhite-crowned Manakin, Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Sharpbill
  7. 7Tortuguero National Park and its canalsCaribbean LowlandsRed-capped Manakin, Snowy Cotinga
  8. 8Palo Verde National Park and the Tempisque RiverNorthern Pacific LowlandsLong-tailed Manakin
  9. 9Rincón de la Vieja National ParkNorthern Pacific LowlandsLong-tailed Manakin
  10. 10Santa Rosa and Guanacaste National ParksNorthern Pacific LowlandsLong-tailed Manakin
  11. 11Carara National ParkCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsVelvety Manakin, Orange-collared Manakin, Rufous Piha, Northern Schiffornis, White-winged Becard, Rose-throated Becard, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher
  12. 12Marino Ballena National Park and Bahía BallenaCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsOrange-collared Manakin
  13. 13Hacienda Barú National Wildlife RefugeCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsYellow-billed Cotinga
  14. 14Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfo DulceCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsVelvety Manakin, Orange-collared Manakin, Turquoise Cotinga
  15. 15Corcovado National Park and the OsaCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRed-capped Manakin, Turquoise Cotinga
  16. 16Los Cusingos and the San Isidro valleyCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsVelvety Manakin
  17. 17Wilson Botanical Garden and Las CrucesCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsWhite-ruffed Manakin, Velvety Manakin
  18. 18Golfito Wildlife RefugeCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsVelvety Manakin, Orange-collared Manakin

The 6 regional endemics

The six you can only see in this part of the world.

Orange-collared Manakin, Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Turquoise Cotinga, Three-wattled Bellbird, Yellow-billed Cotinga, Snowy Cotinga.

All 30 cotingas, manakins and tityras on the list

The full group as Costa Rica's official list has it, in the list's own order. Tick them off on the printable checklist.

Names and status: AOCR Lista Oficial 2025-2026, June 2026 update.

Trips that find them

Most of our trips cross a cotinga or a manakin. These name at least two of the 30 on the way.

Is this bird on your list?

Tell us the birds you most want to see, your dates and how you like to travel, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary built around them. That first version is just a place to start.

Plan my birding trip

Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.

Plan my birding trip