Easier to Photograph in Costa Rica- 5 Fantastic Tanagers

Bird photography in Costa Rica is easy, fun, and never stops! The abundance of birds in scenic, tropical situations makes for constant photo opportunities.

Even so, some bird families are perennial favorites. Easy on the eyes and a joy for your camera, tanagers in Costa Rica rank right up as there as some of the prettiest and easiest photogenic birds on the planet. The following five tanagers are easier to photograph in Costa Rica than most other places.

Speckled Tanager

This lovely little bird is common in some parts of the southern Pacific zone, and at foothill sites on the Caribbean side of the mountains. However, they can forage high in trees and live in dense forest. As with most birds, to get the best shots, you have to know the sites that work for bird photography. Fortunately, our local and experienced Costa Rica bird guides know the best sites for close looks and fantastic shots of this beautiful tanager.

Spangle-cheeked Tanager

The Spangle-cheeked Tanager is one of many birds only found in Costa Rica and western Panama. We see this pumpkin-bellied tanager in cloud forests throughout the country. However, since we often see it in poor light or high overhead, to get good shots, we search for low fruiting trees and bushes. Find the right situation and you can get stunning, close shots of this fantastic beauty of a bird!

Emerald Tanager

One of the prettiest little birds in Costa Rica, the Emerald Tanager lives in foothill rainforests with an abundance of mossy and epiphyte-laden vegetation. These situations make it a very challenging species to photograph inside the forest. Luckily, it comes to feeders and fruiting bushes in one or two places!

Although the Emerald Tanager ranges to western Ecuador, we find it to be much easer to see and photograph in Costa Rica.

Crimson-collared Tanager

Believe it or not, this striking bird is a common tanager in Costa Rica! We find it in second growth on the Caribbean slope, even up to areas with cloud forest. However, it can still be shy and tricky to photograph. To make that happen, we visit certain sites with feeders or fruiting trees that bring it close for plenty of excellent shots.

This species also ranges from southern Mexico to western Panama but it still seems like Costa Rica is the easiest place to get good shots.

Golden-hooded Tanager

It only takes one close look at this bird to understand why its local name is, "seven colors". This small tanager is a bird of lowland rainforest habitats. The lighting and other conditions in those places can be a real test for the camera. Fortunately, in Costa Rica, this beautiful bird is common comes to fruit feeders and low fruiting trees.

Amazingly, these are only five of many tanager species in Costa Rica. There are literally hundreds more birds to photograph in Costa Rica. To see some of the birds we have been "shooting" and seeing, check up on our Facebook page. Which birds in Costa Rica would you like to see and photograph? Contact us at sharpbill@lifertours.com !