Los Quetzales National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🐦 Quetzals and Talamanca HummingbirdsHidden in the Talamanca Mountains at over 2,000 meters, Los Quetzales protects one of Costa Rica's most pristine cloud forests and is the country's best location to see the Resplendent Quetzal. Local guides achieve over 95% sighting success during nesting season (Feb–Jun).
9.601° N 83.821° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Resplendent Quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno
★ 
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Panterpe insignis
★ Talamanca Hummingbird
Eugenes spectabilis
★ 
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher
Ptilogonys caudatus
📊 Most Spotted
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Zonotrichia capensis
Lesser Violetear
Colibri cyanotus
Flame-colored Tanager
Piranga bidentata
White-throated Mountain-gem
Lampornis castaneoventris
Emerald Swift
Sceloporus malachiticus
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
Chlorospingus pileatus
Volcano Hummingbird
Selasphorus flammula
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Diglossa plumbea
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
Yellow-thighed Finch
Atlapetes tibialis
Mountain Thrush
Turdus plebejus
📊 Most Spotted
Red-tailed Squirrel
Sciurus granatensis
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine
Sphiggurus mexicanus
Cacomistle
Bassariscus sumichrasti
Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Baird's Tapir
Tapirella bairdii
Alston's Brown Mouse
Scotinomys teguina
Coyote
Canis latrans
Mexican Deer Mouse
Peromyscus mexicanus
Variegated Squirrel
Sciurus variegatoides
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
Boquete Rice Rat
Nephelomys devius
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Resplendent Quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno
★ Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Panterpe insignis
★ Talamanca Hummingbird
Eugenes spectabilis
★ Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher
Ptilogonys caudatus
📊 Most Spotted
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Zonotrichia capensis
Lesser Violetear
Colibri cyanotus
Flame-colored Tanager
Piranga bidentata
White-throated Mountain-gem
Lampornis castaneoventris
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
Chlorospingus pileatus
Volcano Hummingbird
Selasphorus flammula
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Diglossa plumbea
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
Yellow-thighed Finch
Atlapetes tibialis
Mountain Thrush
Turdus plebejus
Blue-and-white Swallow
Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
📊 Most Spotted
Emerald Swift
Sceloporus malachiticus
Talamancan Palm Pit Viper
Bothriechis nubestris
Montane Alligator Lizard
Abronia monticola
Thick Graceful Brown Snake
Rhadinaea calligaster
Costa Rica Montane Pitviper
Cerrophidion sasai
Swift Anole
Anolis tropidolepis
Cope's Coffee Snake
Ninia psephota
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
Godman's Graceful Brown Snake
Rhadinella godmani
Common Basilisk
Basiliscus basiliscus
Humble Anole
Anolis humilis
Border Anole
Anolis limifrons
📊 Most Spotted
Cerro Utyum Robber Frog
Craugastor podiciferus
Red-legged Webfoot Salamander
Bolitoglossa pesrubra
Tico Salamander
Bolitoglossa tica
Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Grainy Cochran Frog
Cochranella granulosa
Pygmy Rain Frog
Pristimantis ridens
Warszewitsch's Frog
Lithobates warszewitschii
Banded-thighed Rain Frog
Craugastor melanostictus
Red-webbed Tree Frog
Boana rufitela
Recent sightings in Los Quetzales National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Resplendent Quetzal Breeding Season
During the breeding season the male Resplendent Quetzal grows iridescent emerald tail streamers that trail nearly a meter behind him, and pairs excavate nest cavities in decaying trunks to raise their young. Watch for the flash of crimson breast and shimmering green as they slip through the mossy cloud forest.
2Highland Endemic Hummingbird Season
Lesser Violetears, Fiery-throated Hummingbirds and Volcano Hummingbirds gather to feed at flowering shrubs across these high Talamanca slopes, jostling and hovering in glittering aerial skirmishes. The Fiery-throated's rainbow gorget blazes copper, blue and green when it catches the mountain light.
3Talamanca Cloud-Forest Specialty Season
As the cloud-forest specialties enter breeding, Long-tailed Silky-flycatchers perch in family groups fly-catching for berries and insects, Talamanca Hummingbirds defend flowering territories, and Northern Emerald-Toucanets probe the canopy for fruit. Together they showcase the endemic-rich birdlife found only in these misty highland forests.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Resplendent Quetzal Breeding Season
- 2Highland Endemic Hummingbird Season
- 3Talamanca Cloud-Forest Specialty Season
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Los Quetzales National Park?
The most likely sightings are Rufous-collared Sparrow (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Talamanca Hummingbird (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Lesser Violetear (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Flame-colored Tanager (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), White-throated Mountain-gem (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers) — among 887 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Los Quetzales National Park for wildlife?
April has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Resplendent Quetzal in Los Quetzales National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Resplendent Quetzal sighting in Los Quetzales National Park, based on 4,343 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Fiery-throated Hummingbird in Los Quetzales National Park?
Yes — about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery-throated Hummingbird sighting in Los Quetzales National Park, based on 3,554 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Talamanca Hummingbird in Los Quetzales National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Talamanca Hummingbird sighting in Los Quetzales National Park, based on 8,026 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher in Los Quetzales National Park?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher sighting in Los Quetzales National Park, based on 6,216 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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