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Curi Cancha Wildlife Refuge
Curi Cancha Wildlife Refuge is a private wildlife refuge in the central part of Costa Rica, and protects cloud forest in the Cordillera de Tilarán near Juntas. The refuge entrance is about a kilometer before the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The lower portion is drier, with few epiphytes, but the upper portion is cloud forest. While the forest is not quite so pristine as Monteverde, the most spectacular birds are much easier to see. The refuge is particularly good for the resplendent quetzal, the most sought-after bird of the cloud forest. The refuge is also a good place to find keel-billed toucan, Lesson's motmot, orange-bellied trogon, and three-toed sloth, as well as monkeys. Campephilus guatemalensis CR.jpg, Pale-billed woodpecker along Morpho trail Thryophilus rufalbus Curi Cancha 07.jpg, Rufous-and-white wren at the junction of Guacharo and Ficus trails Tiaris olivaceus CR 03.jpg, Yellow-faced grassquit in the parking lot Strangler fig Curi Cancha 02.jpg, A stra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and Maritime boundary, maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million in a land area of . An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, Costa Rica, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area. The sovereign state is a Unitary state, unitary Presidential system, presidential Constitution of Costa Rica, constitutional republic. It has a long-standing and stable democracy and a highly educated workforce. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agricultu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keel-billed Toucan
The keel-billed toucan (''Ramphastos sulfuratus''), also known as sulfur-breasted toucan or rainbow-billed toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize. The species is found in tropical jungles from southern Mexico to Colombia. It is an omnivorous forest bird that feeds on fruits, seeds, insects, invertebrates, lizards, snakes, and small birds and their eggs. Taxonomy and systematics Subspecies Two subspecies are recognized: * ''R. s. sulfuratus'' – Lesson, 1830: Found in south-eastern Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala * ''R. s. brevicarinatus'' – Gould, 1854: Originally described as a separate species. Found in south-eastern Guatemala to northern Colombia and north-western Venezuela Description Including its bill, the keel-billed toucan ranges in length from around . Their large and colorful bill averages around , about one-third of its length. It typically weighs about . While the bill seems large and cumbersome, i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strangler Fig
Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species in the genus ''Ficus'', including those that are commonly known as banyans. Some of the more well-known species are: * ''Ficus altissima'' * ''Ficus aurea'', also known as the Florida strangler fig * ''Ficus benghalensis'' * ''Ficus benjamina'' * '' Ficus burtt-davyi'' * ''Ficus citrifolia'' * '' Ficus craterostoma'' * ''Ficus tinctoria'' * ''Ficus macrophylla'' * ''Ficus obliqua'' * ''Ficus virens'' *''Ficus watkinsiana'' *''Ficus henneana'' These all share a common "strangling" growth habit that is found in many tropical forest species, particularly of the genus ''Ficus''. This growth habit is an adaptation for growing in dark forests where the competition for light is intense. Strangler figs suck up the nutrients from its victims, causing them to die eventually. These plants are hemiepiphytes, spending the first part of their life without rooting into the ground. Their seeds, often bird- dis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yellow-faced Grassquit
The yellow-faced grassquit (''Tiaris olivaceus'') is a passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and is the only member of the genus ''Tiaris''. It is native to the Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Taxonomy In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the yellow-faced grassquit in his ''Ornithologie'' based on a specimen collected in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). He used the French name ''Le bruant de S. Domingue'' and the Latin name ''Emberiza dominicensis''. The two stars (**) at the start of the paragraph indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his '' Systema Naturae'' for the twelfth edition he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rufous-and-white Wren
The rufous-and-white wren (''Thryophilus rufalbus'') is a small songbird of the wren family. It is a resident breeding species from southwesternmost Mexico to northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Thryothorus'' (Mann et al., 2006). This large wren breeds in lowlands and foothills from sea level up to altitude in dry forests or, in wetter areas, more open scrubby woodland. In Central America, it mainly occurs on the Pacific side of the central mountain ranges Its flask-shaped nest is constructed high in a tree or shrub. The female alone incubates the three or four greenish-blue eggs for about two weeks to hatching, and the young fledge in about the same length of time again. The adult rufous-and-white wren is long and weighs . It has chestnut brown upperparts with a darker crown, strong white supercilium, brown stripe through the eye and black streaking on the cheeks. The underparts are white, with black barring on the lower belly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pale-billed Woodpecker
The pale-billed woodpecker (''Campephilus guatemalensis'') is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Mexico to Panama. Taxonomy and systematics The pale-billed woodpecker has these three subspecies: *''C. g. regius'' Reichenbach, 1854 *''C. g. nelsoni'' ( Ridgway, 1911) *''C. g. guatemalensis'' ( Hartlaub, 1844) Description The pale-billed woodpecker is long. The nominate subspecies ''C. g. guatemalensis'' weighs and subspecies ''C. g. regius'' weighs . Both sexes of the nominate subspecies have black upperparts from nape to rump. They have vertical white or buffy white stripes on the sides of their neck that continue onto their back and nearly or fully form a "V". Their tail is dull brown with dull olive-brown on the underside of the outer feathers. Their wings are black except for the outer primaries, whose upper surface has dull brown outer webs above and are greenish olive-yellow below. Their throat and upper breast a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three-toed Sloth
The three-toed or three-fingered sloths are arboreal neotropical mammals . They are the only members of the genus ''Bradypus'' and the family Bradypodidae. The four living species of three-toed sloths are the brown-throated sloth, the maned sloth, the pale-throated sloth, and the pygmy three-toed sloth. In complete contrast to past morphological studies, which tended to place ''Bradypus'' as the sister group to all other folivorans, molecular studies place them nested within the sloth superfamily Megatherioidea, making them the only surviving members of that radiation. Extant species Evolution A study of mitochondrial cytochrome b and 16S rRNA sequences suggests that '' B. torquatus'' diverged from '' B. variegatus'' and '' B. tridactylus'' about 12 million years ago, while the latter two split 5 to 6 million years ago. The diversification of ''B. variegatus'' lineages was estimated to have started 4 to 5 million years ago. Relation to the two-toed sloth Both types of sloth t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orange-bellied Trogon
The orange-bellied trogon (''Trogon collaris aurantiiventris'') is a subspecies of the collared trogon in the family Trogonidae. It is now usually considered as a morph of the collared trogon, but was previously sometimes treated as a separate species. It is found in the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and Panama. Description It measures long. The back, head and breast of the male are green, and a white line separates the breast from the orange underparts. The undertail is white with black barring, and the wings are black, vermiculated with white. The female has a brown back, head and breast, a relatively uniform undertail (not clearly barred), and underparts that are slightly paler than in the male. It is distinguished from the collared trogon by belly colour alone. Habitat Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lesson's Motmot
Lesson's motmot (''Momotus lessonii'') or the blue-diademed motmot, is a colorful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands of southern Mexico to western Panama. This species and the blue-capped motmot, whooping motmot, Trinidad motmot, Amazonian motmot, and Andean motmot were all considered conspecific. Description The central crown is black and surrounded by a blue band. There is a black eyemask. The call is a low owl-like ''ooo-doot''. These birds often sit still, and in their dense forest habitat can be difficult to see, despite their size. They eat small prey such as insects and lizards, and will also regularly take fruit. Like most of the Coraciiformes, motmots nest in tunnels in banks, laying about three or four white eggs. Subspecies The Lesson's motmot has three subspecies: * ''M. l. goldmani'' Nelson, 1900 - southwestern Mexico to northern Guatemala * ''M. l. exiguus'' Ridgway, 1912 - Campeche and Yucatán (southern Mexico) * ''M. l. lessonii'' Lesson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Resplendent Quetzal
The resplendent quetzal (''Pharomachrus mocinno'') is a small bird found in southern Mexico and Central America, with two recognized subspecies, ''P. m. mocinno'' and ''P. m. costaricensis''. These animals live in tropical forests, particularly montane cloud forests and they are part of the family Trogonidae. Like other quetzals, the resplendent is omnivorous; its diet mainly consists of fruits of plants in the laurel family, Lauraceae, but it occasionally also preys on insects, lizards, frogs and snails. The species is well known for its colorful and complex plumage that differs substantially between sexes. Males have iridescent green plumes, a red lower breast and belly, black innerwings and a white undertail, whilst females are duller and have a shorter tail. Grey lower breasts, bellies, and bills, along with bronze-green heads are characteristic of females. These birds hollow holes in decaying trees or use ones already made by woodpeckers as a nest site. They are known to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puntarenas
Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas (canton), Puntarenas canton of Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is awarded the title of city, which is made from the Puntarenas District, Puntarenas, Chacarita District, Chacarita and El Roble District, El Roble districts. And as the city of the first canton of the province, it is the capital city of the Puntarenas Province as well, according to the Administrative divisions of Costa Rica. Toponymy The Puntarenas name comes from the portmanteau of Punta and Arenas, which means Point and Sands, respectively. Therefore, in English the name would mean "Sand Point". The name is first referenced by the arrival in February 1720 of the pirate Chipperton to the area, which recorded in his journals to have arrived to a "Punta de Arena", referring to the needle-like area on which the city stands today. The name is also given to the oddly shaped province of Puntarenas, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ( es, Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde) is a Costa Rican reserve located along the Cordillera de Tilarán within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces. Named after the nearby town of Monteverde and founded in 1972, the Reserve consists of over of cloud forest. It draws roughly 70,000 visitors a year. The Reserve consists of 6 ecological zones, 90% of which are virgin forest. A high biodiversity, consisting of over 2,500 plant species (including the most orchid species in a single place), 100 species of mammals, 400 bird species, 120 reptilian and amphibian species, and thousands of insects, has drawn both scientists and tourists alike. History The 1950s, First Farmers in the Area Arrive In 1951, several dozen Quakers (from 11 families) from Alabama seeking to live as farmers moved to and purchased land in Costa Rica. This was primarily to avoid the Korean War draft, an obligation which contradicted Quaker pacifist ideology. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
