A loud, rolling "Ha-ha-ha-HA..."
Echoes through the morning air, bright and unmistakable, like the jungle itself is telling a really good joke. That’s the Laughing Falcon. A bird whose call always makes me stop whatever I’m doing and smile. I first encountered “Larry” (as I playfully nicknamed him) perched high on a bare branch along the treeline just off my jungle deck. His creamy head and dark bandit mask standing out against the pale sky. He sat there for a long time, scanning the ground below and around with calm confidence, occasionally letting out another burst of that infectious laugh.
In that moment everything just felt lighter.
Laughing Falcons are masters of patience. They perch openly on high branches or snags, waiting for snakes, lizards or small prey to appear below. When they spot something, they drop with surprising speed and precision. A powerful hunter wrapped in a cheerful personality. Their call is one of the most distinctive sounds in Costa Rica’s lowlands and forest edges. It carries far, often answered by a mate in a rhythmic duet that feels like pure joy bouncing between the trees. Hearing it at dawn or dusk has become one of my favorite daily rituals. The wild can be both powerful and playful!
In the couple of years since I began visiting Costa Rica, Larry, the Laughing Falcon has become a symbol for me of choosing lightness even when life feels serious. He shows up, does his important work and still finds reasons to fill the air with laughter.
That energy is contagious.
Every time I hear him, I feel invited to carry a little more joy into my own day. And to photograph with an open heart, to live with more playfulness and to remember that the wild is full of reasons to smile.
Check out the full episode about Larry The Laughing Falcon on "WildHeart Radio with Sarah Lutke Wild." Wherever you listen to podcasts -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wildheart-radio-with-sarah-lutke-wild/
