Biotopo Cerro Cahuí
🇬🇹 Guatemala
🦎 Brown Basilisks Skitter Across the LakeshoreBiotopo Cerro Cahuí is a protected tropical rainforest in Petén, Guatemala. The park sits on limestone hills covered in dense evergreen canopy, with winding streams that cut through palm‑fringed valleys. Its limestone outcrops and flooded lowlands give a mosaic of forest types that differ from nearby rainforests of the region.
17.003° N 89.719° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Keel-billed Toucan
Ramphastos sulfuratus
★ 
Belize Crocodile
Crocodylus moreletii
★ 
Brown Basilisk
Basiliscus vittatus
★ 
Yucatán Squirrel
Sciurus yucatanensis
📊 Most Spotted
Magnolia Warbler
Setophaga magnolia
Brown Jay
Psilorhinus morio
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis
Melodious Blackbird
Dives dives
Central American Gulf Coast Toad
Incilius valliceps
Hooded Warbler
Setophaga citrina
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus flavigaster
Spot-breasted Wren
Pheugopedius maculipectus
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Common Opossum
Didelphis marsupialis
Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus jamaicensis
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine
Sphiggurus mexicanus
Derby's Woolly Opossum
Caluromys derbianus
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Magnolia Warbler
Setophaga magnolia
Brown Jay
Psilorhinus morio
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis
Melodious Blackbird
Dives dives
Hooded Warbler
Setophaga citrina
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus flavigaster
Spot-breasted Wren
Pheugopedius maculipectus
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
Greater Scaly Anole
Anolis tropidonotus
Mexican Parrot Snake
Leptophis mexicanus
Speckled Racer
Drymobius margaritiferus
Central American Boa
Boa imperator
White-lipped Mud Turtle
Kinosternon leucostomum
Ghost Anole
Anolis lemurinus
Turniptail Gecko
Thecadactylus rapicauda
Yucatán Banded Gecko
Coleonyx elegans
Rainbow Ameiva
Holcosus undulatus
Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
📊 Most Spotted
Central American Gulf Coast Toad
Incilius valliceps
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Mexican Smilisca
Smilisca baudinii
Yucatán Casque-headed Tree Frog
Triprion petasatus
Mexican Burrowing Toad
Rhinophrynus dorsalis
Sheep Frog
Hypopachus variolosus
Stauffer's Tree Frog
Scinax staufferi
Browns' Frog
Lithobates brownorum
Painted Tree Frog
Tlalocohyla picta
Recent sightings in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
3Morelet's Crocodile Season
The park's namesake crocodile basks along the Lake Petén Itzá shore in the late dry season and starts nesting with the first rains — sightings peak in .
1Migratory Warbler Wintering
Neotropical migrant songbirds winter in and pass through the lakeside forest — the reason the biotope is documented as a birdwatching destination; warblers dominate the sighting data in migration and winter months.
2Rainy-Season Frog Chorus
The first rains trigger explosive breeding choruses of toads and treefrogs in the biotope's lowland forest and lake margin — amphibian sightings in the data.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Migratory Warbler Wintering
- 2Rainy-Season Frog Chorus
- 3Morelet's Crocodile Season
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí?
The most likely sightings are Magnolia Warbler (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Brown Jay (seen by about 50% of wildlife watchers), Black-and-white Warbler (seen by about 50% of wildlife watchers), Brown Basilisk (seen by about 50% of wildlife watchers), Social Flycatcher (seen by about 40% of wildlife watchers) — among 749 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 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 Keel-billed Toucan in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Keel-billed Toucan sighting in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí, based on 71 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Belize Crocodile in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí?
It's possible but not guaranteed: about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Belize Crocodile sighting in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí, based on 1 verified sighting from GBIF citizen-science data. Sightings take luck and time in the field.
Can you see Brown Basilisk in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Basilisk sighting in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Yucatán Squirrel in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí?
Yes — about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Squirrel sighting in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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