Bucket list bird, the Lovely Cotinga. Where? (3 Viewers)

[GrandNagus50]

Hello,
I am not a 'world lister' and my overall attitude regarding birding (and bird photography) is, "I'm pretty much happy with whatever I see." But I have decided that there are a few birds I really, really would love to see (and possibly photograph) before I leave this world. One of these is the Lovely cotinga, an absolutely breathtaking bird, in my opinion. I understand that its range is from southern Mexico through Costa Rica (or so), and there seem to be a fair number of sightings in Honduras. If I were to plan a birding/photography trip that might have the best chance at this bird, what specific locations might I visit? I have placed Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica on this list. Any other suggestions? And yes, I know that it is an 'iffy' bird no matter where I go, but I gotta try.

 

[njlarsen]

One starting point would be the ebird map. Then look at the last few years and look at the squares which have the darker color. When zooming in, check time of year for the observations.

Sign in

ebird.org

Niels

 

[GrandNagus50]

One starting point would be the ebird map. Then look at the last few years and look at the squares which have the darker color. When zooming in, check time of year for the observations.

Sign in

ebird.org

Niels

Thanks, good suggestion. It appears that Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica is the likeliest "regular birding destination" where this bird is found regularly. Some places in Guatemala and Honduras seem good, too, but maybe I need to plan another trip to Costa Rica before too long.

 

[pbjosh]

I don’t know if it is still the case but near what used to be Pico Bonito lodge in Honduras is an extremely reliable location. Also near Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica. There is a reliable site in Chiapas, Mexico, (Yaxchilan ruins, the main plaza/clearing) but I have always seen them very high in the canopy there.

If you are enamores with Lovely Cotinga you might best avoid looking up Banded Cotinga, you might end with two trips to plan 🤣

Good Luck!

 

[njlarsen]

I don’t know if it is still the case but near what used to be Pico Bonito lodge in Honduras is an extremely reliable location. Also near Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica. There is a reliable site in Chiapas, Mexico, (Yaxchilan ruins, the main plaza/clearing) but I have always seen them very high in the canopy there.

If you are enamores with Lovely Cotinga you might best avoid looking up Banded Cotinga, you might end with two trips to plan 🤣

Good Luck!

The Cotingas and the birds of paradise could both induce that kind of feelings ...
Niels

 

[GrandNagus50]

I don’t know if it is still the case but near what used to be Pico Bonito lodge in Honduras is an extremely reliable location. Also near Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica. There is a reliable site in Chiapas, Mexico, (Yaxchilan ruins, the main plaza/clearing) but I have always seen them very high in the canopy there.

If you are enamores with Lovely Cotinga you might best avoid looking up Banded Cotinga, you might end with two trips to plan 🤣

Good Luck!

The Banded cotinga is beautiful, but it seems like a real tough one to get, i.e., very small population. I also ran across the existence of the Spangled cotinga, a bird of the Amazonian rain forests. Wow. I actually already have a bird photography trip planned to Amazonian Ecuador in October, so that bird is possible.

I actually contacted Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica about the Lovely cotinga, and they told me it is present January-April, though never easy.

I really appreciate the friendly and helpful responses!

Doug

 

[lgonz1008]

The Banded cotinga is beautiful, but it seems like a real tough one to get, i.e., very small population. I also ran across the existence of the Spangled cotinga, a bird of the Amazonian rain forests. Wow. I actually already have a bird photography trip planned to Amazonian Ecuador in October, so that bird is possible.

I actually contacted Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica about the Lovely cotinga, and they told me it is present January-April, though never easy.

I really appreciate the friendly and helpful responses!

Doug

I hope the best for you and you get pictures of your (male) Spangled Cotinga, I only got brief views of this bird and of Pompadour Cotinga in Guyana earlier this year, but both birds were females, so all I saw were drab, brown fruit-eating birds...

 

[AveryBartels]

I will echo Josh on Pico Bonito being the place for Lovely Cotinga, in the appropriate season several males can gather in fruiting trees. Ebird will be able to give you more precise info on what time of year that occurs. Of course, it is trickier to organize that trip now that Pico Bonito lodge is no longer in operation.

If you are interested in further stunning Cotingas, I would suggest Mitu in Colombia as it is reliable for Spangled, Pompadour and Purple-breasted as well as Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock!

 

[GrandNagus50]

Two years later: I never have gotten back to Costa Rica for the Lovely cotinga, but--I went on a trip to Panama where the good news was that we saw Blue cotingas. I got great views of the female, including photos. The bad news was that the only male we saw was like, a half-mile away. I took a photo of it anyway, just as a "record shot." Still dreaming about photographing one of the blue type cotingas at a reasonable range..

 

[wolfbirder]

I cheated and went to Walsrode Vogel Park, Germany to see Birds of Paradise and also Spangled Cotinga.
Not vaguely the same of course, but at least I saw them.

 

[Brad Hacker]

Rancho Naturalista is THE preferred spot for that bird in Costa Rica, however if you look at the long-term eBird frequency data, Lovely Cotinga is reported in <10% of bird lists. Much better--according to eBird frequency data--is Pico Bonito in Honduras, where the reporting rate is ~15% in the summer and peaks at 40% in January. I guess this helps explains why I missed that bird last time I was at Rancho Naturalista.