Turquoise Cotinga

Turquoise Cotinga

Cotinga ridgwayi

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCNTVUVulnerableENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Corcovado National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

357 Verified sightings at Corcovado National Park From 2019 to 2026
557 In all 5 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Turquoise Cotinga

The turquoise cotinga or Ridgway's cotinga (Cotinga ridgwayi) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. The turquoise cotinga is monotypic. It, the lovely cotinga (C. amabilis), and the blue cotinga (C. nattererii) form a superspecies. The plum-throated (C. maynana), purple-breasted (C. cotinga), and banded (C. maculata) cotingas may also be part of that clade.

The turquoise cotinga is 17 to 18.5 cm (6.7 to 7.3 in) long and weighs about 51 to 66 g (1.8 to 2.3 oz). The sexes are dramatically dimorphic. Adult males have deep turquoise-blue upperparts. Their wings are black with thin to moderately wide blue edges on most feathers. Their tail is black; their turquoise-blue uppertail coverts are long and cover much of the tail. Their chin and throat and separately their breast and upper belly are purple. Adult females are larger than males. They have mostly dark brown upperparts with buffish white feather tips that produce a scalloped appearance. Their wings are mostly dusky brown with buffish white scallops on most coverts and cinnamon edges on the tertials. Their tail is dusky brown.... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:07

Costa Rica · 2020

© Johan Chaves · XC548236 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:05

Costa Rica · 2010

© Oscar Herrera · XC113314 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Recording0:12

Costa Rica · 2018

© Andrés Espinoza Fonseca · XC438104 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
2 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
4 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
5 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Turquoise Cotinga in Corcovado National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Turquoise Cotinga sighting in Corcovado National Park on a given day, based on 357 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 121st most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Turquoise Cotinga in Corcovado National Park?

February and October

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Turquoise Cotinga in Corcovado National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Turquoise Cotinga?

Between 6 and 9 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Turquoise Cotinga sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Corcovado National Park the best place to see a Turquoise Cotinga?

Yes

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Turquoise Cotinga sightings, Corcovado National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Marino Ballena National Park (Costa Rica, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Turquoise Cotinga live in Corcovado National Park?

Same family: Cotingidae

The closest relatives of the Turquoise Cotinga that you can see in Corcovado National Park (family Cotingidae, Cotingas) are Rufous Piha (about 40%), Masked Tityra (about 20%) and Black-crowned Tityra (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Turquoise Cotinga sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Turquoise Cotinga is recorded against all the birds logged in Corcovado National Park (357 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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