Before arriving to Costa Rica I had never really thought about those little creatures that are so small they seem more like insects than birds. I mean they also exist in the U.S., but I never really noticed them that much. Here it is a different story. They are so plentiful in Costa Rica that you must notice them. And they are such amazing creatures that you certainly should take notice of them. Costa Rica has a wide variety of different hummingbird species (“Colibri” in Spanish). There seems to be an infinite variety of different sizes and colors. We have the Violet Sabrewing, the largest of the Costa Rican hummingbirds, that are a deep purple in color. And then there is the tiny Scintillant, the smallest, which is much smaller than some of our flying insects. All in all, there are over 50 different species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica (around 330 species in the world). We have some amazing hummingbird gardens like at the La Paz Gardens (part of the Peace Lodge) where hummingbirds will do “fly-bys” so close to your head that you can feel the air move and hear the distinctive hum of their wings fluttering at speeds as fast as 80 flaps per second. One of my favorite places to view the hummingbirds is a secret spot located not too far from the Peace Lodge. This is a tiny little pueblo named Cinchona that overlooks the deep gorge of the Sarapiqui river. My secret spot is actually a private residence, but the owners open their doors to the public (the few that are fortunate enough to stumble onto the place) for the most amazing view of the San Fernando waterfall deep down in the gorge below. This a majestic 400 foot fall (much larger than the La Paz fall close-by, which is the main tourist attraction to the area). But even more amazing than the view of the fall, are the hummingbirds. I don’t know if all the different species that exist in Costa Rica can be seen there, but it seems so. There are so many and they are so varied that it is mind boggling. In addition to the hummingbirds, you can see Toucanets, Oropendolas, Tanagers, and many other types of birds that visit the garden they have planted just below the lookout. There are so many other spots to view hummingbirds in Costa Rica. At present, these creatures are plentiful and not in any imminent danger. They play such an important role as pollinators of plants that produce some of Costa Rica’s most brilliant flowers. Costa Rica’s hummingbirds are another amazing testament to its depth of biodiversity and another reason I love Costa Rica.
- Only bird that can fly backwards
- Highest metabolism of any animal
- Species consists of smallest birds on the planet
- Heart rate of as high as 1,260 beats per minute
- Can migrate up to 500 miles nonstop
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