Costa Rica is a tiny country alive with the chirp and song of 943 species of birds! Home to an enormous variety of wildlife, upwards of 500,000 species, it is considered to possess the highest density of biodiversity in the world. At only 50,000 square kilometers, Costa Rica hosts more species of birds than the United States and Canada combined!

Bird Murals at Indigenous Territory Schools

Of the country’s 943 avian species, over 600 are permanent residents and seven are only found in the wild spaces still found in there. Costa Rica’s indigenous reserves and national parks are the final frontier for many birds that used to have a much larger range. As other Central, North and South American countries have caused declines of many bird species due to habitat loss, deforestation, agrochemicals, structural impact and the pet trade, Costa Rica provides refuge to species which are now considered to be “endemic.”

Through the reversal of deforestation, and promotion of conservation, a few bird species harbored here alone in this last refuge Costa Rica offers them. These are the birds Sparkroot Wild features in our murals, as a celebration of not only the beauty of the birds, but of the country that offers them a restored and protected home. We offer gratitude to the ticos and indigenous residents of this land who care about them and their continued survival.

Thanks to The Good of the Hive for painting our first mural at the Escuela Vista Mar!

International mural artist Matt Willey of The Good of the Hive generously gifted his time and talent to create this mural, while the Sparkroot Wild team joined in the painting. Our first Vista Mar mural will join a series of global murals with the mission to “inspire radical curiosity and active engagement around planetary health issues through art, bees and storytelling.” Sparkroot Wild and Good of the Hive made a wonderful synergy as we share a common vision of a “world filled with people that see and experience the beauty and connectedness of all things.”

Matt is also a filmmaker who’s creating a feature length documentary exploring the intersection of art, community, nature, storytelling, and what it means to be a healthy and whole human community in this modern world. We are grateful and honored to have our mural - and our story - included in what is sure to be a beautiful and compelling film (release estimate 2025). His time here with us - and his mission to paint 50,000 bees all around the world! - inspired our desire to paint endemic, endangered and culturally important birds all around Ngabe territory. We truly are all connected, making beauty, making art, serving life and paying it forward. Gracias al Hacedor de Vida y la communidad!

Meet the Birds (& bees!) at the Vista Mar School

  • White-crested Coquette (Colibri coqueta crestiblanca) STATUS: LEAST CONCERN/ENDEMIC

  • Yellow-throated Toucan (Tucan pico castano). STATUS: NEAR THREATENED

  • Black-cheeked Ant Tanager (Tangara hormiguero carinegra) STATUS: ENDEMIC & ENDANGERED

  • Yellow-billed Cotinga (Cotinga picuiamarillo) STATUS: ENDEMIC & ENDANGERED

  • Scarlet Macaw (Lapa Roja) STATUS: NEAR THREATENED BUT REBOUNDING DUE TO REINTRODUCTION EFFORTS IN COSTA RICA.

  • Turquoise Cotinga (Cotinga turquesa) STATUS: ENDEMIC & VULVERABLE DUE TO DEFORESTATION

  • Stingless Bees (Trigona fulviventris)

  • Stingless bee (Centris flavifrons)

  • Clay-colored Thrush (Yiguerro) STATUS: NATIONAL BIRD OF COSTA RICA (for it's most beautiful song) LEAST CONCERN

“The question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself, and without losing the right to be called civilized.”
― Rachel Carson