Darién National Park

🇵🇦 Panama

🦅 Harpy Eagle Nesting Spectacle
🌍 #108 Global · 4.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ #17 in Central America #45 in Tropical Forest
Darién Gap, Panama 1400 spp. recorded

Darién National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site protecting 575,000 hectares of Central America's largest and wildest tropical forest. It is the undisputed harpy eagle capital of the world — the best place on Earth to see this magnificent raptor in the wild.

7.654° N   77.909° W

Wildlife

SIGHTING PROBABILITY Share of citizen-science records from the park that report this species
<5%
Rare5–20%
With luck20–40%
Possible40–70%
Likely>70%
Very likely
ACTIVITY PATTERN
☀️ Diurnal 🌙 Nocturnal 🌅 Crepuscular ☀️🌙 Day & Night

⭐ Iconic Species

Harpy Eagle ★
VU

Harpy Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Harpia harpyja

10–20% · With luck
Geoffroy’s Tamarin ★

Geoffroy’s Tamarin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Saguinus geoffroyi

40–50% · Likely
Great Green Macaw ★
CR

Great Green Macaw

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ara ambiguus

10–20% · With luck
Mantled Howler Monkey ★
VU

Mantled Howler Monkey

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Alouatta palliata

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Black Vulture
LC

Black Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coragyps atratus

70–80% · Likely
Turkey Vulture
LC

Turkey Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cathartes aura

60–70% · Likely
Red-lored Parrot
LC

Red-lored Parrot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amazona autumnalis

60–70% · Likely
Roadside Hawk
LC

Roadside Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rupornis magnirostris

50–60% · Likely
Bananaquit
LC Endemic

Bananaquit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coereba flaveola

50–60% · Likely
Tropical Kingbird
LC

Tropical Kingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tyrannus melancholicus

50–60% · Likely
Ruddy Ground-Dove
LC

Ruddy Ground-Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Columbina talpacoti

50–60% · Likely
Keel-billed Toucan
NT

Keel-billed Toucan

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ramphastos sulfuratus

50–60% · Likely
Orange-chinned Parakeet
LC

Orange-chinned Parakeet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Brotogeris jugularis

50–60% · Likely
Blue-gray Tanager

Blue-gray Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thraupis episcopus

40–50% · Likely
Blue-headed Parrot
LC

Blue-headed Parrot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pionus menstruus

40–50% · Likely
White-tipped Dove
LC Endemic

White-tipped Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leptotila verreauxi

40–50% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Geoffroy’s Tamarin ★

Geoffroy’s Tamarin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Saguinus geoffroyi

40–50% · Likely
Mantled Howler Monkey ★
VU

Mantled Howler Monkey

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Alouatta palliata

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Brown-throated Sloth
LC Endemic

Brown-throated Sloth

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Bradypus variegatus

40–50% · Likely
White-throated Capuchin
VU Endemic

White-throated Capuchin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Cebus capucinus

30–40% · Possible
Spotted Paca
LC

Spotted Paca

🌙 Nocturnal Mammal

Cuniculus paca

20–30% · Possible
White-nosed Coati
LC Endemic

White-nosed Coati

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Nasua narica

20–30% · Possible
Red-tailed Squirrel
LC

Red-tailed Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Sciurus granatensis

20–30% · Possible
Ocelot
LC

Ocelot

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Leopardus pardalis

10–20% · With luck
Panamanian Night Monkey
NT

Panamanian Night Monkey

🌅 Crepuscular Mammal

Aotus zonalis

10–20% · With luck
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
LC

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Choloepus hoffmanni

10–20% · With luck
Northern Tamandua
LC Endemic

Northern Tamandua

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Tamandua mexicana

10–20% · With luck
Common Opossum
LC

Common Opossum

☀️🌙 Day & Night Mammal

Didelphis marsupialis

10–20% · With luck
Collared Peccary
Endemic

Collared Peccary

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Pecari tajacu

Insufficient data
rufiventris

rufiventris

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Ateles fusciceps

10–20% · With luck

⭐ Iconic Species

Harpy Eagle ★
VU

Harpy Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Harpia harpyja

10–20% · With luck
Great Green Macaw ★
CR

Great Green Macaw

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ara ambiguus

10–20% · With luck

📊 Most Spotted

Black Vulture
LC

Black Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coragyps atratus

70–80% · Likely
Turkey Vulture
LC

Turkey Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cathartes aura

60–70% · Likely
Red-lored Parrot
LC

Red-lored Parrot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amazona autumnalis

60–70% · Likely
Roadside Hawk
LC

Roadside Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rupornis magnirostris

50–60% · Likely
Bananaquit
LC Endemic

Bananaquit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coereba flaveola

50–60% · Likely
Tropical Kingbird
LC

Tropical Kingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tyrannus melancholicus

50–60% · Likely
Ruddy Ground-Dove
LC

Ruddy Ground-Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Columbina talpacoti

50–60% · Likely
Keel-billed Toucan
NT

Keel-billed Toucan

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ramphastos sulfuratus

50–60% · Likely
Orange-chinned Parakeet
LC

Orange-chinned Parakeet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Brotogeris jugularis

50–60% · Likely
Blue-gray Tanager

Blue-gray Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thraupis episcopus

40–50% · Likely
Blue-headed Parrot
LC

Blue-headed Parrot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pionus menstruus

40–50% · Likely
White-tipped Dove
LC Endemic

White-tipped Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leptotila verreauxi

40–50% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

White-throated Gecko
LC Endemic

White-throated Gecko

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Gonatodes albogularis

30–40% · Possible
Common Caiman
LC

Common Caiman

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Caiman crocodilus

20–30% · Possible
Common Basilisk
LC

Common Basilisk

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Basiliscus basiliscus

20–30% · Possible
Green Iguana
LC

Green Iguana

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Iguana iguana

20–30% · Possible
Cnemidophorus duellmani

Cnemidophorus duellmani

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Cnemidophorus duellmani

10–20% · With luck
Fer-de-lance
LC

Fer-de-lance

☀️🌙 Day & Night Reptile

Bothrops asper

10–20% · With luck
Mourning Gecko
LC

Mourning Gecko

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Lepidodactylus lugubris

10–20% · With luck
Turniptail Gecko
LC

Turniptail Gecko

🌙 Nocturnal Reptile

Thecadactylus rapicauda

10–20% · With luck
Common House Gecko
LC Endemic

Common House Gecko

☀️🌙 Day & Night Reptile

Hemidactylus frenatus

10–20% · With luck
American Crocodile
VU

American Crocodile

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Crocodylus acutus

10–20% · With luck
Rainforest Hog-nosed Viper
LC

Rainforest Hog-nosed Viper

☀️🌙 Day & Night Reptile

Porthidium nasutum

10–20% · With luck
Blunthead Tree Snake
LC

Blunthead Tree Snake

🌙 Nocturnal Reptile

Imantodes cenchoa

10–20% · With luck

📊 Most Spotted

Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
LC

Green and Black Dart-poison Frog

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Dendrobates auratus

30–40% · Possible
Forest Toad
LC

Forest Toad

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Rhinella alata

30–40% · Possible
Giant Marine Toad
LC

Giant Marine Toad

🌙 Nocturnal Amphibian

Rhinella horribilis

20–30% · Possible
Guayaquil Dwarf Frog
LC

Guayaquil Dwarf Frog

🌅 Crepuscular Amphibian

Engystomops pustulosus

20–30% · With luck
Fitzinger's Robber Frog
LC

Fitzinger's Robber Frog

🌙 Nocturnal Amphibian

Craugastor fitzingeri

10–20% · With luck
Leaf Litter Toad
LC

Leaf Litter Toad

🌅 Crepuscular Amphibian

Rhaebo haematiticus

10–20% · With luck
Milk Frog

Milk Frog

🌅 Crepuscular Amphibian

Trachycephalus macrotis

10–20% · With luck
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
LC

Savage's Thin-toed Frog

🌙 Nocturnal Amphibian

Leptodactylus savagei

10–20% · With luck
Turbo White-lipped Frog
LC

Turbo White-lipped Frog

🌙 Nocturnal Amphibian

Leptodactylus poecilochilus

5–10% · With luck
Pirri Harlequin Frog
CR

Pirri Harlequin Frog

☀️🌙 Day & Night Amphibian

Atelopus glyphus

5–10% · With luck
Spotted Foam-nest Frog
LC

Spotted Foam-nest Frog

🌙 Nocturnal Amphibian

Leptodactylus insularum

5–10% · With luck
Tink Frog
LC

Tink Frog

🌙 Nocturnal Amphibian

Diasporus diastema

5–10% · With luck

Animal Events

🦅

Harpy Eagle Nesting & Viewing

AprJulAugOctNov

One of the world's most powerful raptors, the Harpy Eagle returns to the same emergent rainforest tree year after year to raise a single chick over many months. During nesting the massive pair patrols the canopy for sloths and monkeys, offering rare, reliable sightings of a bird most people never see in the wild.

Harpy Eagle
VU

Harpy Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Harpia harpyja

10–20% · With luck
🐆

Jaguar & Large Mammal Activity Peak

FebMarOctDec

In this vast wilderness the Jaguar prowls river edges and forest trails, its tracks and kills marking one of the last strongholds for the great cat in the region. Alongside it, bands of White-nosed Coatis forage noisily through the leaf litter, tails held high, when mammal movement across the park is at its most active.

White-nosed Coati
LC Endemic

White-nosed Coati

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Nasua narica

20–30% · Possible
Jaguar
NT

Jaguar

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Panthera onca

Insufficient data
🐒

Primate Canopy Activity Peak

FebSepNovDec

Three primates share the treetops here, and when fruit ripens they feed in the open canopy at once: troops of Mantled Howler Monkeys roar at dawn, White-throated Capuchins scramble through the branches, and the endangered Black-headed Spider Monkey swings on long limbs overhead. It's the best window to spot all three species in a single morning.

White-throated Capuchin
VU Endemic

White-throated Capuchin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Cebus capucinus

30–40% · Possible
Mantled Howler Monkey
VU

Mantled Howler Monkey

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Alouatta palliata

30–40% · Possible
rufiventris

rufiventris

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Ateles fusciceps

10–20% · With luck
🦜

Macaw & Parrot Season

OctNovDec

Flocks of Great Green Macaws, Red-lored Parrots and Blue-headed Parrots gather to feed where fruiting and nut-bearing trees are heavy, filling the forest with raucous calls and flashes of green, red and blue. Their noisy congregations make this the easiest time to catch large parrots streaming across the canopy.

Red-lored Parrot
LC

Red-lored Parrot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amazona autumnalis

60–70% · Likely
Blue-headed Parrot
LC

Blue-headed Parrot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pionus menstruus

40–50% · Likely
Great Green Macaw
CR

Great Green Macaw

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ara ambiguus

10–20% · With luck

Sighting Calendar

Chance of spotting each species, month by month

Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Species Total
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
50–60
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
Harpy Eagle
10–20
10–20
10–20
10–20
5–10
5–10
10–20
10–20
10–20
10–20
10–20
10–20
Geoffroy’s Tamarin
40–50
40–50
50–60
40–50
30–40
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
30–40
50–60
40–50
Great Green Macaw
20–30
10–20
10–20
<5
<5
5–10
20–30
5–10
<5
40–50
10–20
20–30
Mantled Howler Monkey
40–50
30–40
20–30
20–30
20–30
30–40
50–60
40–50
20–30
20–30
30–40
30–40
Black Vulture
70–80
60–70
60–70
60–70
70–80
60–70
70–80
70–80
80–90
70–80
70–80
60–70
Turkey Vulture
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
40–50
50–60
50–60
60–70
50–60
70–80
50–60
Red-lored Parrot
60–70
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
60–70
60–70
50–60
60–70
50–60
60–70
70–80
Roadside Hawk
50–60
40–50
50–60
50–60
60–70
50–60
60–70
50–60
50–60
60–70
70–80
50–60
Bananaquit
50–60
40–50
40–50
50–60
50–60
40–50
40–50
40–50
50–60
60–70
60–70
60–70
Tropical Kingbird
50–60
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
60–70
40–50
Ruddy Ground-Dove
50–60
40–50
40–50
40–50
50–60
50–60
60–70
40–50
60–70
50–60
50–60
50–60
Keel-billed Toucan
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
30–40
60–70
30–40
40–50
50–60
60–70
50–60
60–70
Orange-chinned Parakeet
40–50
40–50
40–50
60–70
50–60
60–70
60–70
40–50
60–70
50–60
50–60
50–60
Blue-gray Tanager
40–50
40–50
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
40–50
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
Blue-headed Parrot
50–60
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
30–40
40–50
30–40
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
White-tipped Dove
40–50
30–40
40–50
30–40
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
50–60
60–70
50–60
50–60
Animal Events
🦅 Harpy Eagle Nesting & Viewing
🐒 Primate Canopy Activity Peak
🦜 Macaw & Parrot Season
🐆 Jaguar & Large Mammal Activity Peak

Sighting Zones

Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.

0.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Excellent
🦅 Harpy Eagle Nesting Spectacle

Where Wildlife Score

How good is this park for seeing wildlife?
🦜

Biodiversity

Excellent

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg
5.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds
782
🐒 Mammals
299
🦎 Reptiles
195
🐸 Amphibians
124
1400 Total Species
850 Global average across 296 parks
55 Threatened 71 Endemic
🔭

Sighting

Very good

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg
3.6 ★★★★★ ★★★★★
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
62% Global avg
55%
📊
Coverage (341 species at ≥5% of 1400 in the inventory)
24% Global avg
24%
🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 mammal)
46% Global avg
20%
🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
134 Global avg
251
🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
15 Global avg
22
⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
27 Global avg
24

Quick answers

What animals can you see in Darién National Park?

The most likely sightings are Black Vulture (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers), Turkey Vulture (seen by 60–70% of wildlife watchers), Red-lored Parrot (seen by 60–70% of wildlife watchers), Roadside Hawk (seen by 50–60% of wildlife watchers), Bananaquit (seen by 50–60% of wildlife watchers) — among 1400 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.

When is the best time to visit Darién National Park for wildlife?

November has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.

Can you see Harpy Eagle in Darién National Park?

It's possible but not guaranteed: about 13% of wildlife watchers report a Harpy Eagle sighting in Darién National Park, based on 392 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data. Sightings take luck and time in the field.

Can you see Geoffroy’s Tamarin in Darién National Park?

Yes — about 48% of wildlife watchers report a Geoffroy’s Tamarin sighting in Darién National Park, based on 101 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Great Green Macaw in Darién National Park?

Yes — about 18% of wildlife watchers report a Great Green Macaw sighting in Darién National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Mantled Howler Monkey in Darién National Park?

Yes — about 34% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Howler Monkey sighting in Darién National Park, based on 54 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

⚖️

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