Natural History of the Cloud Forest

Cloud forest is a private reverse located in Monteverde, Costa Rica. A very high biodiversity has been found, consisting of more than 2500 species of plants (including a high percentage of all species found in Costa Rica), 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 120 species of reptiles and amphibians, and thousands of insects. The herpetofauna of the area consists of 161 species of amphibians and reptiles. Monteverde is known worldwide as the habitat of the golden toad (Bufo perglenes), a species that disappeared in 1989. 91 (21%) of Monteverde’s bird species are long-distance migratory birds that breed in North America and pass through Monteverde during their migration, or winter in the area. Three of these species, Elanoides forficatus, Legatus leucopahius and Vireo flavoviridis, breed in Monteverde and migrate to South America during their non-reproductive phase.