Paracas National Reserve

🇵🇪 Peru

🦭 Sea Lion and Booby Coast
🌍 #247 Global · 3.1 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ #38 in South America #21 in Desert & Scrub
Ica, Peru 417 spp. recorded

Paracas is desert meeting the Humboldt current, so almost everything alive is on the shoreline. South American sea lions hold the rocks on nearly every visit and Peruvian boobies work the water offshore, with bottlenose dolphins on six trips in ten.

-14.206° S   76.260° 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

Southern Sea Lion ★
LC

Southern Sea Lion

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Otaria byronia

60–70% · Likely
Bottlenose Dolphin ★
LC

Bottlenose Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Tursiops truncatus

30–40% · Possible
Peruvian Booby ★
LC

Peruvian Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula variegata

70–80% · Very likely
Peru Pacific Iguana ★
LC

Peru Pacific Iguana

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Microlophus peruvianus

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Belcher's Gull
LC

Belcher's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus belcheri

80–90% · Very likely
Bigua cormorant

Bigua cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

70–80% · Very likely
American Oystercatcher
LC Endemic

American Oystercatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus palliatus

70–80% · Very likely
Peruvian Pelican
NT

Peruvian Pelican

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pelecanus thagus

70–80% · Very likely
Hudsonian Whimbrel

Hudsonian Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius hudsonicus

70–80% · Very likely
Whimbrel
LC

Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius phaeopus

70–80% · Very likely
Snowy Egret
LC

Snowy Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta thula

60–70% · Likely
Turkey Vulture
LC

Turkey Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cathartes aura

60–70% · Likely
Ruddy Turnstone
NT

Ruddy Turnstone

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Arenaria interpres

60–70% · Likely
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

60–70% · Likely
Grey-hooded Gull

Grey-hooded Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

60–70% · Likely
Grey Gull

Grey Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus modestus

60–70% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Southern Sea Lion ★
LC

Southern Sea Lion

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Otaria byronia

60–70% · Likely
Bottlenose Dolphin ★
LC

Bottlenose Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Tursiops truncatus

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Montane Guinea Pig
LC

Montane Guinea Pig

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Cavia tschudii

Insufficient data
Culpeo
LC

Culpeo

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Lycalopex culpaeus

Insufficient data

⭐ Iconic Species

Peruvian Booby ★
LC

Peruvian Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula variegata

70–80% · Very likely

📊 Most Spotted

Belcher's Gull
LC

Belcher's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus belcheri

80–90% · Very likely
Bigua cormorant

Bigua cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

70–80% · Very likely
American Oystercatcher
LC Endemic

American Oystercatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus palliatus

70–80% · Very likely
Peruvian Pelican
NT

Peruvian Pelican

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pelecanus thagus

70–80% · Very likely
Hudsonian Whimbrel

Hudsonian Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius hudsonicus

70–80% · Very likely
Whimbrel
LC

Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius phaeopus

70–80% · Very likely
Snowy Egret
LC

Snowy Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta thula

60–70% · Likely
Turkey Vulture
LC

Turkey Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cathartes aura

60–70% · Likely
Ruddy Turnstone
NT

Ruddy Turnstone

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Arenaria interpres

60–70% · Likely
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

60–70% · Likely
Grey-hooded Gull

Grey-hooded Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

60–70% · Likely
Grey Gull

Grey Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus modestus

60–70% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Peru Pacific Iguana ★
LC

Peru Pacific Iguana

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Microlophus peruvianus

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Theresia's Pacific Iguana
LC

Theresia's Pacific Iguana

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Microlophus theresiae

Insufficient data
Narrow Leaf-toed Gecko
EN

Narrow Leaf-toed Gecko

Reptile

Phyllodactylus angustidigitus

Insufficient data

📊 Most Spotted

Animal Events

🦭

Sea Lions and Boobies on the Islands

MarAprMay

South American sea lions crowd the rocky islands while Peruvian boobies feed in the channels between them.

Peruvian Booby
LC

Peruvian Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula variegata

70–80% · Very likely
Southern Sea Lion
LC

Southern Sea Lion

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Otaria byronia

60–70% · Likely
🐬

Bottlenose Dolphins Offshore

JulAugSep

Bottlenose dolphins work the bay and Belcher’s gulls follow the boats, both at their highest of the year.

Bottlenose Dolphin
LC

Bottlenose Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Tursiops truncatus

30–40% · Possible
Belcher's Gull
LC

Belcher's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus belcheri

80–90% · Very likely
🐦

Migrant Shorebirds on the Bay

OctNov

Whimbrels arrive on the mudflats and Pacific lizards are active across the open sand.

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Hudsonian Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius hudsonicus

70–80% · Very likely
Peru Pacific Iguana
LC

Peru Pacific Iguana

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Microlophus peruvianus

60–70% · Likely

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
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
70–80
60–70
70–80
60–70
60–70
Southern Sea Lion
50–60
60–70
70–80
60–70
80–90
80–90
70–80
60–70
50–60
60–70
60–70
70–80
Bottlenose Dolphin
5–10
20–30
30–40
20–30
20–30
20–30
40–50
40–50
30–40
20–30
20–30
30–40
Peruvian Booby
60–70
70–80
60–70
70–80
70–80
80–90
80–90
70–80
60–70
80–90
60–70
60–70
Peru Pacific Iguana
50–60
70–80
50–60
50–60
60–70
30–40
40–50
60–70
70–80
70–80
40–50
70–80
Belcher's Gull
80–90
70–80
90–100
80–90
80–90
80–90
80–90
80–90
70–80
80–90
80–90
70–80
Bigua cormorant
50–60
70–80
70–80
80–90
70–80
80–90
70–80
90–100
70–80
80–90
80–90
80–90
American Oystercatcher
70–80
60–70
70–80
60–70
60–70
80–90
70–80
70–80
80–90
70–80
70–80
80–90
Peruvian Pelican
60–70
60–70
80–90
80–90
80–90
80–90
80–90
70–80
60–70
40–50
60–70
60–70
Hudsonian Whimbrel
50–60
70–80
70–80
50–60
50–60
20–30
40–50
70–80
70–80
80–90
60–70
80–90
Whimbrel
80–90
80–90
70–80
60–70
40–50
70–80
40–50
60–70
60–70
80–90
80–90
70–80
Snowy Egret
60–70
70–80
60–70
50–60
70–80
70–80
80–90
70–80
50–60
60–70
60–70
70–80
Turkey Vulture
50–60
70–80
50–60
60–70
70–80
80–90
70–80
70–80
60–70
70–80
80–90
50–60
Ruddy Turnstone
70–80
50–60
80–90
70–80
50–60
60–70
30–40
60–70
70–80
80–90
80–90
60–70
Dominican Gull
60–70
50–60
60–70
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
Grey-hooded Gull
80–90
50–60
50–60
70–80
50–60
60–70
50–60
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
Grey Gull
60–70
60–70
40–50
60–70
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
60–70
40–50
40–50
40–50
Animal Events
🦭 Sea Lions and Boobies on the Islands
🐬 Bottlenose Dolphins Offshore
🐦 Migrant Shorebirds on the Bay

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 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Good
🦭 Sea Lion and Booby Coast

Where Wildlife Score

How good is this park for seeing wildlife?
🦜

Biodiversity

Good

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg
3.4 ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds
303
🐒 Mammals
88
🦎 Reptiles
26
🐸 Amphibians
0
417 Total Species
850 Global average across 296 parks
36 Threatened 29 Endemic
🔭

Sighting

Good

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg
3.1 ★★★★★ ★★★★★
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
62% Global avg
72%
📊
Coverage (76 species at ≥5% of 417 in the inventory)
24% Global avg
18%
🔀
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
65
🌟
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
4
⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
27 Global avg
27

Quick answers

What animals can you see in Paracas National Reserve?

The most likely sightings are Belcher's Gull (seen by 80–90% of wildlife watchers), Bigua cormorant (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers), American Oystercatcher (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers), Peruvian Booby (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers), Peruvian Pelican (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers) — among 417 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.

When is the best time to visit Paracas National Reserve for wildlife?

October 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 Southern Sea Lion in Paracas National Reserve?

Yes — about 69% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Sea Lion sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 77 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Bottlenose Dolphin in Paracas National Reserve?

Yes — about 31% of wildlife watchers report a Bottlenose Dolphin sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 19 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Peruvian Booby in Paracas National Reserve?

Yes — about 73% of wildlife watchers report a Peruvian Booby sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 343 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Peru Pacific Iguana in Paracas National Reserve?

Yes — about 63% of wildlife watchers report a Peru Pacific Iguana sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 60 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

⚖️

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