Celestún Biosphere Reserve
🇲🇽 Mexico
🐊 Flamingo and Crocodile EstuaryCelestún is an estuary where fresh water meets the Gulf under a roof of mangrove, and the whole visit happens from a boat. Caribbean flamingos feed in the shallows on about half of all trips, and Morelet's crocodiles are seen on nearly eight in ten.
20.623° N 90.416° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
American Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
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Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
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Belize Crocodile
Crocodylus moreletii
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Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
📊 Most Spotted
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Tropical Mockingbird
Mimus gilvus
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Mangrove Vireo
Vireo pallens
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Olive-throated Parakeet
Aratinga nana
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
📊 Most Spotted
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Greater Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx bilineata
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Mexican Black Howler Monkey
Alouatta pigra
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Central American Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi
Ocelot
Leopardus pardalis
Margay
Leopardus wiedii
Greater Bulldog Bat
Noctilio leporinus
Mexican Greater Funnel-eared Bat
Natalus mexicanus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Tropical Mockingbird
Mimus gilvus
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Mangrove Vireo
Vireo pallens
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Olive-throated Parakeet
Aratinga nana
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
White Ibis
Eudocimus albus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Central American Boa
Boa imperator
Cozumel Spiny Lizard
Sceloporus cozumelae
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
Yucatán Whiptail
Aspidoscelis angusticeps
Gulf Coast Vine Snake
Oxybelis potosiensis
Rainforest Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira frenata
Mexican Parrot Snake
Leptophis mexicanus
Rodriguez's Anole
Anolis rodriguezii
Yellow-spotted Spiny Lizard
Sceloporus chrysostictus
Road Guarder
Conophis lineatus
Speckled Racer
Drymobius margaritiferus
Recent sightings in Celestún Biosphere Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Flamingo Congregations
Thousands of American flamingos gather to feed in the shallow pink-tinged lagoon of the ría.
3Hawksbill Turtle Nesting
Hawksbill turtles come ashore at night to nest on the reserve's Gulf beaches.
2Waterbird Migration
White pelicans and blue-winged teal crowd the ría alongside the flamingos during the northern winter.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Flamingo Congregations
- 2Waterbird Migration
- 3Hawksbill Turtle Nesting
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
And, there were spoonbills (which I had never previously managed to spot).
But, if you find yourself in Merida in December, January, or February, we strongly encourage you to plan a trip to see the Celestun flamingos in their natural habitat!
We have been to see flamingos in a number of places but this is the closest we have ever gotten in the wild.
We also walked a boardwalk to a freshwater spring-fed lagoon and saw a baby crocodile, lots of pelicans, great & snowy egrets, wood storks, and a roseate spoonbill.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?
The most likely sightings are Common Raccoon (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Magnificent Frigatebird (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), American Flamingo (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Laughing Gull (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Tropical Mockingbird (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 685 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Celestún Biosphere Reserve for wildlife?
January 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 American Flamingo in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a American Flamingo sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve, based on 1,858 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Magnificent Frigatebird in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Frigatebird sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve, based on 1,646 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Belize Crocodile in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Belize Crocodile sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Black Spiny-tailed Iguana in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black Spiny-tailed Iguana sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve, based on 80 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
