Illegal wildlife trafficking is again flaring in Costa Rica’s Osa region, where authorities say late March and early April mark the most intense stretch of the year for nest plundering and the illegal sale of wild birds. Park rangers in Osa say poachers are targeting chicks from scarlet macaws, parakeets and parrots during the breeding season, feeding a black market that continues to threaten one of the country’s richest wildlife areas.
The timing is especially troubling in Osa, a region widely recognized for its extraordinary biodiversity and home to Corcovado National Park and Isla del Caño Biological Reserve. Authorities say the trafficking pressure rises when chicks are easiest to remove from nests, especially along the coastal mountain range, turning the start of April into a dangerous window for some of the area’s best known bird species.
Among the species most affected is the scarlet macaw, one of Costa Rica’s most emblematic birds and one of the most profitable animals in the illegal trade. Reports from Osa indicate that a single scarlet macaw can fetch more than $3,000 on the black market, while parrot chicks have recently been offered for ₡40,000 each. In one case cited by authorities, a man in Laurel de Corredores was caught with more than 10 parrot chicks allegedly being offered for sale.
Officials say demand remains one of the main drivers. Wild birds are still being bought as pets despite longstanding warnings that captivity harms the animals and that extracting, possessing and selling them is illegal in Costa Rica. SINAC has urged the public to report these cases, while prosecutors and environmental authorities have been stepping up enforcement against wildlife trafficking networks.
The Osa cases are part of a broader national problem. Costa Rica’s Public Ministry said last month that more than 1,000 wild animals are illegally removed from their habitats in the country each year to be sold as pets, placed in private collections or trafficked into international markets. Authorities said the crime weakens ecosystems and also feeds organized criminal activity, prompting expanded training and coordination among police, prosecutors, customs officials and environmental agencies.
Costa Rica’s Wildlife Conservation Law gives SINAC the authority to regulate wildlife trade and explicitly prohibits trafficking in species listed as endangered or with reduced populations unless they come from an authorized wildlife management site. Authorities in Osa say the message at the start of this peak season is simple: buying a wild bird does not rescue it. It deepens a criminal trade that strips nests, kills off future breeding populations and chips away at the biodiversity that makes southern Costa Rica so rare.
