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Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis)Orange-chinned Parakeet

Costa Rica bird species · Parrots and macaws

Parrots and macaws in Costa Rica: all 18 species, and where to see them

18 species, only 2 of them macaws, and a river at dawn where one of them crosses.

Costa Rica's official list has 18 parrots and macaws, one family, about one bird in every 52 on it, and only 2 of them are macaws. The Scarlet Macaw is about 84 cm, more than half of that tail, and about a kilo. The Great Green Macaw is bigger, 85 to 90 cm and about 1.3 kilos, and no parrot in its natural range is bigger.

Where each one lives is the planning question. The Scarlet Macaw is a Pacific bird: pairs cross over Carara National Park and the Tárcoles River at dawn and at dusk, and SINAC, the national parks service, calls the park the main conservation and breeding core of the species in Costa Rica. The Great Green Macaw belongs to the wet Caribbean lowlands, where its life follows the almendro tree, and where our guides start looking.

Three of the 18 are regional endemics, which means they live only in this small corner of the world: the Red-fronted Parrotlet, the Sulphur-winged Parakeet and the Crimson-fronted Parakeet. The other 13 include 5 amazons, and only the two macaws have a page of ours so far.

Where to see them

The Scarlet Macaw is the Pacific bird and the Great Green Macaw the Caribbean one, so a trip that crosses the country meets both. These are the places where we name them.

Map of Costa Rica with the 18 places where we name parrots and macaws, numbered, over the five birding zones
Cerro El Silencio, above TurrialbaBraulio Carrillo National ParkTortuguero National Park and its canalsTirimbina Biological Reserve, SarapiquíCurú Wildlife Refuge and the Río PochoteSanta Rosa and Guanacaste National ParksCorcovado 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. 1San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valleyHighlandsSulphur-winged Parakeet
  2. 2Cerro de la Muerte and the km 70 lookoutsHighlandsSulphur-winged Parakeet
  3. 3Tapantí National Park, above the Orosí valleyHighlandsBarred Parakeet
  4. 4Cerro El Silencio, above TurrialbaCaribbean FoothillsRed-fronted Parrotlet
  5. 5Selva Verde, on the Sarapiquí RiverCaribbean LowlandsGreat Green Macaw
  6. 6La Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsGreat Green Macaw
  7. 7Braulio Carrillo National ParkCaribbean LowlandsBlue-headed Parrot
  8. 8Tortuguero National Park and its canalsCaribbean LowlandsOlive-throated Parakeet, Great Green Macaw
  9. 9Gandoca-Manzanillo and the Keköldi ridgeCaribbean LowlandsGreat Green Macaw
  10. 10Tirimbina Biological Reserve, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsGreat Green Macaw
  11. 11Curú Wildlife Refuge and the Río PochoteNorthern Pacific LowlandsScarlet Macaw
  12. 12Santa Rosa and Guanacaste National ParksNorthern Pacific LowlandsOrange-chinned Parakeet
  13. 13Carara National ParkCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsScarlet Macaw
  14. 14The Tárcoles River mangroves, by boatCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsYellow-naped Amazon, Scarlet Macaw
  15. 15Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfo DulceCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsBrown-throated Parakeet, Scarlet Macaw
  16. 16Corcovado National Park and the OsaCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsScarlet Macaw
  17. 17Los Cusingos and the San Isidro valleyCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRed-fronted Parrotlet
  18. 18Golfito Wildlife RefugeCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsBrown-hooded Parrot, Scarlet Macaw

The 3 regional endemics

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

Red-fronted Parrotlet, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, Crimson-fronted Parakeet.

All 18 parrots and macaws 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

Almost every trip we run crosses a macaw. These name at least two of the 18 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.

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