Anyone have suggestions on the best wildlife field guide for CR? I don't really want to lug around a book for each (birds, plants, herps, mammals, butterflies, insects, etc.) Thank you!

I love my Traveler's Wildlife Guide by Les Beletsky. The Chapters on Ecotourism , Geography, Habitats, Parks, Ecology, Natural History and Conservation are extremely informational and easy to read. In addition the guide provides a wonderful summary of the amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals found in Costa Rica, along with beautiful color identification plates of those species most commonly found, along with summaries of their habitat and the parks where they can be located. I love that they give the common names of each species in English and Spanish(!), along with the scientific name. It does lack information on plants and insects, but as a wildlife guide, it's terrific. I ordered mine through Amazon.

You can also purchase great tri-fold laminated guides on insects, plants, birds, mammals, etc. while in Costa Rica. These are available in the airport gift shops, as well as most tourist attraction and National Park gift shops. If I can manage to locate mine, I will post the name of the publisher and its website address.

Terri

Just found my pocket field guide! The website address is http://www.rainforestpublications.co...des/index.html.

These laminated pocket guides are about the size of a #10 envelope. They are laminated for durability (and protection against humidity!) and are extremely lightweight and easy to carry.

Terri

Thank you!

Thank you for the book recommendation. It sounds like a good one to add to our ever growing Costa Rica library.

Thanks for the website TAGriffin. Can you buy just the "wildlife" guide or do you need to buy the various ones? Are these the same as the guides you can buy in CR? We are leaving in 2 weeks and I am afraid that I won't receive it in time. Thanks!

have Beletsky's book as noted above and find it very useful as a general guidebook.

Jerry

dhswor: Yes, you can just buy the green wildlife guide, which contains many of the most-commonly seen birds, mammals, amphibians and butterflies. These are sold all over Costa Rica, including the airport, so you should not have any trouble locating it once you arrive.

Buen viaje!

Terri

Thanks Terri, I will definately keep my eyes open for it. diane

I have found the Rainforest Publications.com field guides to be very helpful. The flat laminated, 7" 1/2 x 11", ones fit nicely into my day pack. The illustrations are larger on the laminated guide. However the the green, foldable CR Wildlife Guide fits nicely in my pocket and has everything in one format. The prices through the website are much better than you will find in CR. However buying them there will help the local economy. I take a wax pencil or crayon and mark next to the birds or animals I see. Then go back to the hotel to read more about them. My books last longer and so does my shoulder. They produce field guides for several other countries in Central America. Safe Travels!
HMalone