No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

Explore the World of Costa Rican Hummingbirds

“The Hummingbird Effect” is a PBS documentary that showcases the nesting and feeding behaviors of Costa Rican hummingbirds, including some endangered species. It highlights the critical role these tiny birds play in maintaining the wild environments of Earth, affecting flowering kingdoms and other wildlife. The documentary also encourages viewers to contribute to conservation efforts by planting native flowers instead of using feeding stations. It is a must-watch for nature and conservation enthusiasts and is a testament to the incredible work of the team behind it. The team is currently working on their next project on jaguars in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Wildlife – Meet the Greater Grison

The greater grison, a diurnal and nocturnal member of the weasel family, has been discovered in Costa Rica. The animal is aquatic and terrestrial and is usually found near water sources where it feeds on small mammals, reptiles, birds, eggs, fruit, and arthropods. Despite being present in the country, little is known about the animal due to its secretive nature. Researchers have had difficulty capturing the grison in the wild but have conducted studies near Carara National Park and coffee farms near San Ramon. Vincent Losasso, founder of Guanacaste Wildlife Monitoring, has recorded several videos of the creature in different environments.

Discovery of 2 New Plant Species on Cocos Island

Two new plant species, the Stenospermation coques and Ilex hammelii, have been discovered on Cocos Island in Costa Rica. The Stenospermation coques is endemic to Cocos Island and belongs to the Araceae family, while the Ilex hammelii belongs to the Aquifoliacea family and is named after botanist Barry Hammel. Around 6% of the world’s species are found in Costa Rica, and the country has made significant efforts to protect its natural resources with 26% of its land designated as protected areas. The discoveries demonstrate the importance of continued research and conservation efforts to preserve Costa Rica’s exceptional biodiversity. Cocos Island has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its unique ecosystem and biodiversity, emphasizing the need to protect natural resources.

Brisa Hennessy Qualifies for Paris 2024 Olympics

Brisa Hennessy, a surfer from Costa Rica, has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, making it her second consecutive Olympic appearance. She secured her spot in the Olympics thanks to her 12th place in the Championship Tour ranking. In the first year of surfing’s presentation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she achieved a historic fifth place. Brisa is determined to bring home a medal for Costa Rica in Paris. The surfing venue for the event will be in Teahupo’o, French Polynesia, a challenging and renowned surfing spot. Brisa’s qualification highlights the nation’s potential in surfing, and we wish her the best of luck.

Today's Top News

Costa Rica Targets Landowners Linked to Clandestine Drug Airstrips

President Laura Fernández has put the owners of clandestine airstrips on notice. Following the second meeting of her newly formed Fuerza Élite security task...

Costa Rica Gets Nonstop Delta Flights From New York

Delta Air Lines is bringing back nonstop service between New York City and Costa Rica's Guanacaste region, filing plans this week to fly from...

Costa Rica Will Let Cubans Live and Work Legally

Costa Rica has reactivated a special migration category that will allow thousands of Cuban migrants — along with nationals of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Colombia...

Costa Rica Homelessness Has Grown Sharply Over the Past Decade

An estimated 7,133 people were living in street conditions in Costa Rica in 2025, more than half of them in the capital, San José...

Canada Becomes One of Costa Rica’s Fastest-Growing Tourism Markets

The numbers tell a compelling story. In the first four months of 2026, Costa Rica welcomed 173,349 Canadian tourists arriving by air, a jump...

Sabalenka Stunned by Shnaider in French Open Quarterfinal Collapse

Roland Garros served up another seismic shock on Wednesday as world No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka squandered a set and a double-break...

Costa Rica Camera Traps Capture Rare Predator Hunts and Pregnant Jaguars

Sometimes I record something interesting and I think ‘I should share this with the good people who read the Tico Times,’ but whatever it...

Costa Rica Grants US Extradition of ‘Macho Coca’ With Safeguards

An appeals court in San José has ordered the deferred extradition to the United States of Gilbert Hernán Bell Fernández, the Costa Rican businessman...

Costa Rica Investigates Police Officers After Alleged Robbery in Santa Cruz

Four Fuerza Pública officers were detained in Guanacaste as part of an investigation into an alleged illegal raid and robbery at a home in...

Hurricane Season Starts as Costa Rica Watches Both Coasts

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season began Monday, June 1, and while the forecast is calmer than in many recent years, Costa Rica still has...