Parque National Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica Photograph by John Morrison   Central America: Western Costa Rica Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   4,100 square miles (10,700 square kilometers) -- slightly smaller than Connecticut Critical/Endangered

· In the Shadow of Volcanoes
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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In the Shadow of Volcanoes

The Costa Rican Seasonal Moist Forests occupies three distinct areas, two in northwestern Costa Rica and another in southwestern Nicaragua, nestled between the dry forests of the Pacific Coast and the highlands of the Tilarán Cordillera central mountain range. The areas in northwestern Costa Rica lie in the partial rain shadow of numerous volcanoes. In the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests of this region grow numerous tall trees, their branches holding many epiphytes and long, twisting vines. Many migratory birds use these forests as a stopover point on their long journeys from North to South America--and back again.

Special Features

This habitat provides a seasonal refuge for migrating species and links the neighboring dry forest areas to the west with the cloud forests to the east. During the dry season, many species migrate to this ecoregion from the dry forests, including birds such as trogons, long-tailed manakins, rufous-and-white wrens, white-throated robins, ruddy woodcreepers, and golden-crowned warblers. Resplendent quetzals and three-wattled bellbirds do the opposite and migrate out of the montane cloud forests to these lower-elevation moist forests to begin their breeding season. They then return to the lush cloud forests for nesting. The birds apparently take advantage of the delayed fruiting cycles of tree species in lower elevations, especially those of the laurel family.

	Since the collapse of the Costa Rican cattle industry in the mid 1900s, much of the higher altitude regions of this ecoregion are once again covered in forest. Population pressures, however, are now bringing people back into this region.

Wild Side

In the high branches of the upper canopy, spider monkeys swing through the trees like circus acrobats. The underside of their long, prehensile tail is ridged like a human finger tip, which helps them grip branches and swing between trees with all five limbs. The call of howler monkeys fills the forest. A tayra, a member of the weasel family, chases a common gray four-eyed opossum through a vine tangle in the upper canopy, 100 feet (30 m) above the ground. The iridescent cobalt of morpho butterflies decorates the mud banks around boiling volcanic mud pits. Back in the trees, the plumage of a resplendent quetzal gleams emerald green. The tail feathers of these rare birds, sometimes reaching two feet (60 cm) in length during breeding season, were more highly prized than gold or jade by ancient Aztec cultures. Nearby, the bonk! of a three-wattled bellbird echoes through the trees. Footprints left in the mud of a streambed show the path of an elusive jaguar. In the Nicoya Peninsula region of this habitat, mountain and coastal species come together. Here, all sorts of animals come to the beaches each year to feast on hatching ridley sea turtles, including raccoons, gray foxes, king vultures, coatis, and sometimes even ocelots.

Cause for Concern

Much of this area has been converted to agriculture in the past 100 years. Rice fields, sugar cane fields, and cattle pastures now dominate the landscape. Agriculture poses the most serious threat to the future of this habitat. As land use practices change, water diversion and reclamation projects are taking root in the area and may pose additional threats in the immediate future.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.