Black Vulture
A highly social scavenger whose broad circles and white wing patches are familiar above both cities and wild rivers.
San José, Costa Rica: places and wildlife
Browse the published Explore collection for San José, Costa Rica. Open a discovery for its field guide, practical details, and background.
Great Kiskadee
A loud, adaptable tropical flycatcher whose name echoes its ringing kis-ka-dee call.
Blue-gray Tanager
The calm blue-gray tanager of Amazonian gardens often appears in pairs wherever fruit and open canopy meet.
Long-tailed Weasel
A fast, flexible hunter able to follow rodents into spaces far smaller than its apparent body length.
Brown-throated Sloth
A rounded clump in the Peruvian canopy resolves into long limbs, three hooked claws on every foot, a brown throat, and rain-shedding fur whose grooves host algae.
Common Vampire Bat
The best-known blood-feeding mammal is also a highly social bat that shares food with unsuccessful roost-mates.
Cane Toad
A broad-headed Neotropical toad carries large toxin glands behind its eyes—an effective defense that makes a curious dog, not a quiet observer, the urgent concern.