Product Description

At the biological crossroads of the Americas, Costa Rica hosts an astonishing array of plants and animals--over half a million species! Ecotourists, birders, and biologists come from around the world to immerse themselves in the country's unspoiled rain forests, mountains, and beaches, drawn by the likelihood of seeing more than three or four hundred species of birds and other animals during even a short stay. To help all of these visitors and local residents identify and enjoy the wildlife of Costa Rica, this field guide presents nearly three hundred species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, and other invertebrates. Carrol Henderson, an experienced wildlife biologist, traveler, and tour leader in Costa Rica, has chosen the species that ecotourists are most likely to see, along with a selection of rarer, sought-after animals. He gives a general introduction to each group of animals, followed by individual species accounts that highlight identification features and interesting ecological adaptations for survival. His stunning close-up photographs and distribution maps complete each entry. In addition, Henderson includes a wealth of data about Costa Rica's natural environment, as well as a trip preparation checklist and lists of conservation organizations, wildlife tourism sites, and wildlife vocalization tapes and CDs. With so much information so readily and readably accessible, this field guide will be essential for planning and enjoying your time in Costa Rica.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #189501 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 559 pages

About the Author
Carrol L. Henderson, a professional wildlife biologist, has made over twenty-five trips to Costa Rica since 1969 and has led over thirty-five birding and wildlife tours there and throughout Latin America since 1987. He lives in Blaine, Minnesota.

Customer Reviews

Dont let the title of this book fool you.
I bought this book because I wanted a field guide to tropical wildife. Since Audubon and Peterson do not offer guides of this sort I went out on a limb. This book is definately not a field guide, but a desk reference. If you want to quickly identify the birds you are seeing, this is by no means the book to have. There are wonderful pictures and great descriptions, but the layout of the book takes time to find what you are looking for. It should also be noted that this is predominantly a guide to the birds of costa rica, there are less than a dozen insects mentioned and about the same number of reptiles/amphibians. Overall good information on the birds and few other animals listed, but terrible format. One final thought- this is not a light book to have in your backback hiking through backcountry Costa Rica.

What the Book Is
People who got this book with the wrong expectations will naturally be disappointed. It's not a comprehensive field guide. If you expect a photograph and description of every single plant and animal species in Costa Rica, sorry, it's not all there.

Having said that, I didn't expect such things when I got the book and I was in no way disappointed with it. There is so much wonderful and useful information in this book that I can't imagine giving it less than five stars. Many times my wife and I commented to each other that it was "a very excellent book."

There are excellent photographs and very good species descriptions for birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects along with lots of amusing stories. There is much useful information about climatic effects and the author often tells you what kind of Holdridge life zone you are in. Xandari, for example, is tropical premontane moist forest.

This book has my unreserved and whole-hearted recommendation. If you're going to Costa Rica I hope you'll see scarlet macaws because they are truly magnificent.

For birders I recommend also getting "A Field Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica" by Stiles and Skutch. For reptiles and amphibians there is also "A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica" by Leenders.

Great, but superficial
This book is a great overview of the most common and the most sought-after wildlife in Costa Rica. It is nowhere close to all-inclusive. If you're looking for something inclusive, buy field guides for specific types of critters (birds, reptiles, etc). The pictures are gorgeous and are a good supplement to specific field guides. The book is really too big for taking into the field.

The best features of this book are the maps and the information about scarcity. It tells how often a particular animal was sighted out of 15 trips to areas where it occurs.