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Our First Day Begins with Coffee

Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow [photo credit to Ebird]

Our first 'official' day in Costa Rica, after meeting our driver [and apprentice birder] Pablo and our guide proper Diego, started with coffee at about 545am. Directly after a cuppa we travelled to a nearby coffee plantation.

The Target? A Costa Rican endemic - Cabani's Ground Sparrow.

From Birds of the World:

Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow is restricted to central Costa Rica, and so is called Costa Rican Ground-Sparrow by some authors; it is a southern counterpart to the more widespread White-faced Ground-Sparrow (Melozone biarcuata), which occurs from southern Mexico to northern Honduras. This sparrow has a largely rusty head and face, with white on the lores and around the eyes, as well as a black submoustachial streak that borders the lower edge of the rusty face. The upperparts otherwise are brownish gray. Below it is unstreaked, but shows a black central breast spot, or "stickpin". As the name suggests, this sparrow forages on the ground, either as singles or pairs. It occupies deciduous forest and forest edge, the edges of humid montane forest, and second growth. Although Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow is fairly common, it often is retiring, and most aspects of its natural history are poorly known.


Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow is not dependent upon primary habitats, and adapts well to advanced second growth, coffee plantations, and other habitats in a region that is shaped by a large human presence. On the other hand, these changes in habitat also increase the exposure of the ground-sparrow to brood parasitism (Sealy et al. 1997), which may have contributed to local population declines (Stiles 1990).

Diego, and I am sure others, are more concerned about the future of this species than the above description would suggest. San Jose continues to spread; engulfing farmland and secondary growth, shrinking the habitats where this bird still can be easily found.

On our first trip most of the party got views but most would also concede that better views are required, and so we will return tomorrow... 


Green Spiny Lizard - female

Red-billed Pigeon

Tropical Kingbird



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