Prothonotary WarblerCosta Rica bird species · Warblers, vireos, orioles and oropendolas
Warblers, vireos, orioles and oropendolas in Costa Rica: all 92 species, and where to see them
92 species, 6 found only in this corner of the world, and 45 of them migrants that visit.
Costa Rica's official list has 92 birds in this group, about one bird in every ten on it, in four families: 51 wood-warblers, 24 blackbirds, orioles and oropendolas, 16 vireos and one more, the Yellow-breasted Chat. Forty-five are migrants, the AOCR's word for a bird that spends part of the year here and does not breed, and that is more than the 32 residents.
Six of them are regional endemics, which means they live only in this small corner of the world. Two of the six, the Collared Redstart and the Flame-throated Warbler, are birds of the oaks at San Gerardo de Dota and the ridge at km 70, and our Bird Photography trip names both.
Then there are the oropendolas, where the nests come first. The Montezuma Oropendola builds long woven bags that hang from one tall tree, each 60 to 180 cm long, and we take people to the Sarapiquí lowlands for the colonies. At Hotel Quelitales above Cartago they come to the suite balconies.
Where to see them
Two of the endemic warblers are birds of the mountains, and the oropendolas are birds of the Caribbean lowlands. These are the places where we name them.
San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valleyLa Angostura lake and the Turrialba farmlandCaño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Río FríoLa Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíCarara National ParkLos Cusingos and the San Isidro valleyWilson Botanical Garden and Las CrucesGolfito Wildlife Refuge
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap- Place where we name them
- Highlands
- Caribbean Foothills
- Caribbean Lowlands
- Northern Pacific Lowlands
- Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands
- 1San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valleyHighlandsRufous-browed Peppershrike, Flame-throated Warbler, Collared Redstart
- 2Cerro de la Muerte and the km 70 lookoutsHighlandsYellow-winged Vireo, Flame-throated Warbler, Collared Redstart
- 3Tapantí National Park, above the Orosí valleyHighlandsYellow-winged Vireo
- 4Monteverde Cloud Forest ReserveHighlandsBrown-capped Vireo
- 5Curi-Cancha Reserve, MonteverdeHighlandsBrown-capped Vireo, Slate-throated Redstart
- 6La Angostura lake and the Turrialba farmlandCaribbean FoothillsRed-breasted Meadowlark
- 7Arenal Volcano National ParkCaribbean LowlandsChestnut-sided Warbler, Buff-rumped Warbler
- 8Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Río FríoCaribbean LowlandsYellow-tailed Oriole
- 9Selva Verde, on the Sarapiquí RiverCaribbean LowlandsMontezuma Oropendola
- 10La Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíCaribbean LowlandsLesser Greenlet, Montezuma Oropendola
- 11Palo Verde National Park and the Tempisque RiverNorthern Pacific LowlandsStreak-backed Oriole, Spot-breasted Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird
- 12Carara National ParkCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsRufous-browed Peppershrike, Ochre-crowned Greenlet, Lesser Greenlet, Yellow-green Vireo
- 13The Tárcoles River mangroves, by boatCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsMangrove Vireo, Yellow-green Vireo, Mangrove Yellow Warbler
- 14Los Cusingos and the San Isidro valleyCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsSlate-throated Redstart
- 15Wilson Botanical Garden and Las CrucesCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsCrested Oropendola, Chestnut-capped Warbler
- 16Golfito Wildlife RefugeCentral and Southern Pacific LowlandsCrested Oropendola
The 6 regional endemics
The ones you can only see in this part of the world.
Yellow-winged Vireo, Nicaraguan Grackle, Flame-throated Warbler, Black-cheeked Warbler, Costa Rican Warbler, Collared Redstart.
All 92 warblers, vireos, orioles and oropendolas 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.
Rufous-browed PeppershrikeCyclarhis gujanensisSeen at Carara National Park, San Gerardo de Dota
Scrub GreenletHylophilus flavipesA plucky southern Pacific greenlet of scrub, bamboo and forest edge.
Green Shrike-VireoVireolanius pulchellusA bright green canopy bird, far easier to hear than to spot.
Ochre-crowned GreenletTunchiornis ochraceicepsSeen at Carara National Park
Lesser GreenletPachysylvia decurtataSeen at Carara National Park, La Selva Biological Station
White-eyed VireoVireo griseusA rare northern visitor with yellow spectacles: a lucky bonus, never a target.
Mangrove VireoVireo pallensSeen at Tárcoles River Mangroves
Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifronsA yellow-breasted canopy migrant that winters here from October to April
Yellow-winged VireoVireo carmioliSeen at Cerro de la Muerte, Tapantí National Park
Blue-headed VireoVireo solitariusA blue-grey-headed winter visitor from Canada and the US, found from lowlands to highlands.
Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicusSlight, dainty winter vireo that works high branches from late October to April.
Eastern Warbling VireoVireo gilvusA plain, sweet-voiced vireo that only rarely reaches Costa Rica in winter.
Brown-capped VireoVireo leucophrysSeen at Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceusA silent passage migrant with a red eye, in gardens, edges and forest.
Yellow-green VireoVireo flavoviridisSeen at Carara National Park, Tárcoles River Mangroves
Black-whiskered VireoVireo altiloquusA rare Caribbean stray that hides among look-alike vireos
Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virensA rare, skulking winter visitor with white spectacles and a yellow breast.
Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalusA rare stray with a golden head and very few Costa Rican reports
BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusA rare fall migrant, best checked in rice fields and open grass.
Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaYellow-breasted farmland bird with a black chest V, singing from fence posts.
Red-breasted MeadowlarkLeistes militarisSeen at La Angostura Lake
Yellow-billed CaciqueAmblycercus holosericeusBlack bird with a pale bill and yellow eyes, hiding in thickets and bamboo.
Crested OropendolaPsarocolius decumanusSeen at Golfito Wildlife Refuge, Wilson Botanical Garden
Chestnut-headed OropendolaPsarocolius wagleriChestnut head, yellow tail and a colony of hanging nests in one tall tree
Montezuma OropendolaPsarocolius montezumaSeen at La Selva Biological Station, Selva Verde
Scarlet-rumped CaciqueCacicus uropygialisBlack cacique with a scarlet rump, blue eyes and a pale ivory bill.
Black-cowled OrioleIcterus prosthemelasYellow and black oriole of banana groves and fruit feeders
Orchard OrioleIcterus spuriusSmallest oriole, a chestnut-bellied migrant drawn to flowering trees
Yellow-backed OrioleIcterus chrysaterBright yellow and black oriole with a few coastal records here; not one to count on.
Yellow-tailed OrioleIcterus mesomelasSeen at Caño Negro
Streak-backed OrioleIcterus pustulatusSeen at Palo Verde National Park
Bullock's OrioleIcterus bullockiiA slim orange and black oriole that rarely winters in Costa Rica's highlands
Spot-breasted OrioleIcterus pectoralisSeen at Palo Verde National Park
Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbulaOrange and black winter visitor of gardens, edges and plantations
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusSeen at Palo Verde National Park
Shiny CowbirdMolothrus bonariensisA purple-black cowbird that reached Costa Rica from Panama in 2004.
Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneusA stocky, red-eyed black bird of towns, pastures and farm edges.
Giant CowbirdMolothrus oryzivorusGlossy black brood parasite that lingers near oropendola colonies.
Melodious BlackbirdDives divesAll-black, dark-eyed songster of lawns, gardens and field edges.
Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanusBig, glossy black, long V tail, pale yellow eye, loud in town plazas
Nicaraguan GrackleQuiscalus nicaraguensisA marsh grackle found only in Nicaragua and far northern Costa Rica.
OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapillaA streaked warbler that walks, not hops, across the forest floor.
Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorumA striped-headed winter visitor that searches dead leaves low in the forest.
Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacillaA tail-bobbing winter visitor to fast, forested hill streams.
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisA tail-wagging winter warbler of mangroves, creeks and muddy edges.
Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysopteraTiny yellow-capped warbler that winters in Costa Rica's mixed flocks
Blue-winged WarblerVermivora cyanopteraBright yellow winter warbler with white wing bars and a thin black eye line
Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta variaA striped winter warbler that creeps along bark like a nuthatch.
Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citreaGolden-headed winter warbler of mangroves and swamps, here from mid-August.
Flame-throated WarblerOreothlypis gutturalisSeen at Cerro de la Muerte, San Gerardo de Dota
Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrinaA busy winter warbler of flowering trees, coffee farms and mixed flocks.
Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celataA plain olive warbler, accidental in Costa Rica and very unlikely on a trip.
Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapillaA rare gray-hooded winter visitor at the far edge of its range.
Connecticut WarblerOporornis agilisAn accidental warbler with a bold eye ring and only three Costa Rican records
Gray-crowned YellowthroatGeothlypis poliocephalaA small yellow warbler of weedy fields and cane, common in the lowlands.
MacGillivray's WarblerGeothlypis tolmieiA skulking gray-hooded winter visitor, easily mixed up with Mourning Warbler.
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaA gray-hooded skulker of low, tangled scrub, here from autumn to spring
Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosaA yellow-spectacled warbler that walks the forest floor all winter.
Olive-crowned YellowthroatGeothlypis semiflavaA black-masked yellow warbler of damp Caribbean pastures and lake shores
Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichasA masked little warbler that skulks in Costa Rican marshes in winter
Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrinaA yellow-faced warbler in a black hood, wintering low in damp scrub.
American RedstartSetophaga ruticillaA restless black and orange warbler that spends the northern winter here.
Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrinaA rare streaked warbler that sips nectar at flowering trees in winter.
Cerulean WarblerSetophaga ceruleaA tiny sky-blue canopy warbler that stops in the Caribbean foothills each fall.
Northern ParulaSetophaga americanaA tiny blue-gray warbler, very rare here and easily mixed up with the Tropical Parula.
Tropical ParulaSetophaga pitiayumiTiny canopy warbler with a buzzy trill, found by ear first.
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnoliaA small yellow and black winter migrant that keeps low in second growth.
Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castaneaA chestnut-flanked migrant warbler, common on the Caribbean slope each fall.
Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fuscaA flame-throated winter migrant of foothill forest and canopy
Northern Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestivaA bright yellow winter visitor of coffee farms, gardens and mangroves.
Mangrove Yellow WarblerSetophaga petechiaSeen at Tárcoles River Mangroves
Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanicaSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park
Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataA rare migrant warbler, best looked for at fruiting fig trees.
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensA rare winter visitor: grey-blue male, white wing square on the female.
Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarumA tail-bobbing, ground-feeding warbler that is a true rarity here.
Pine WarblerSetophaga pinusA rare vagrant: a few autumn records from 1974 in the upper Central Valley.
Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronataA winter warbler whose yellow rump shows best when it flies.
Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominicaA rare migrant warbler with a bright yellow throat, found high in the canopy.
Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolorA tail-bobbing yellow warbler that reaches Costa Rica only when lost.
Townsend's WarblerSetophaga townsendiA yellow-faced winter warbler with a dark cheek patch, here late September to early April.
Hermit WarblerSetophaga occidentalisA rare highland migrant warbler with a yellow head and black throat
Golden-cheeked WarblerSetophaga chrysopariaAn endangered Texas nester that only strays to Costa Rica, so know its face.
Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virensA yellow-faced winter warbler of Costa Rica's mountain forest, late October to early March.
Chestnut-capped WarblerBasileuterus delattriiSeen at Wilson Botanical Garden
Black-cheeked WarblerBasileuterus melanogenysA rufous-capped warbler of highland oak and bamboo, found only in the Talamancan mountains.
Golden-crowned WarblerBasileuterus culicivorusA small, striped-crowned warbler of mountain forest understory.
Costa Rican WarblerBasileuterus melanotisA restless, striped little warbler of highland cloud forest, found only here and in western Panama.
Buff-rumped WarblerMyiothlypis fulvicaudaSeen at Arenal Volcano National Park
Canada WarblerCardellina canadensisA necklaced gray and yellow warbler that only passes through Costa Rica.
Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusillaA tiny, restless yellow warbler that winters in the Costa Rican highlands.
Slate-throated RedstartMyioborus miniatusSeen at Curi-Cancha Reserve, Los Cusingos
Collared RedstartMyioborus torquatusSeen at Cerro de la Muerte, San Gerardo de Dota
Names and status: AOCR Lista Oficial 2025-2026, June 2026 update.
Trips that find them
These trips name at least one of these birds 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.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.