Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
🇪🇨 Ecuador
🐒 Squirrel Monkey LagoonsCuyabeno is a flooded forest built around fourteen lagoons, and it is seen from a canoe. Squirrel monkeys cross the canopy over the water on most visits, woolly monkeys and red howlers feed in the same trees, and hoatzins — the strangest bird in the Amazon — sit in the lakeside branches barely bothering to move.
-0.322° S 75.783° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri macrodon
★ 
Common Woolly Monkey
Lagothrix lagothricha
★ 
Colombian Red Howler Monkey
Alouatta seniculus
★ 
Hoatzin
Opisthocomus hoazin
📊 Most Spotted
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Cacicus cela
Russet-backed Oropendola
Psarocolius angustifrons
Greater Ani
Crotophaga major
South American Common Toad
Rhinella margaritifera
White-throated Toucan
Ramphastos tucanus
White-winged Swallow
Tachycineta albiventer
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Ringed Kingfisher
Megaceryle torquata
Ecuador Poison Frog
Ameerega bilinguis
Yellow-tongued Anole
Anolis scypheus
Cobalt-winged Parakeet
Brotogeris cyanoptera
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri macrodon
★ Common Woolly Monkey
Lagothrix lagothricha
★ Colombian Red Howler Monkey
Alouatta seniculus
📊 Most Spotted
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
Miller's Saki
Pithecia milleri
Marañón white-fronted capuchin
Cebus yuracus
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Boto
Inia geoffrensis
Western Pygmy Marmoset
Cebuella pygmaea
White-tailed Titi
Plecturocebus discolor
Black-mantled Tamarin
Leontocebus nigricollis
Giant Otter
Pteronura brasiliensis
Golden-mantled Tamarin
Leontocebus tripartitus
Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus didactylus
South American Tapir
Tapirus terrestris
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Cacicus cela
Russet-backed Oropendola
Psarocolius angustifrons
Greater Ani
Crotophaga major
White-throated Toucan
Ramphastos tucanus
White-winged Swallow
Tachycineta albiventer
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Ringed Kingfisher
Megaceryle torquata
Cobalt-winged Parakeet
Brotogeris cyanoptera
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture
Cathartes melambrotus
Fork-tailed Palm-Swift
Tachornis squamata
📊 Most Spotted
Yellow-tongued Anole
Anolis scypheus
Anaconda
Eunectes murinus
Black Caiman
Melanosuchus niger
Southern Turnip-tailed Gecko
Thecadactylus solimoensis
Brown-eared Anole
Anolis fuscoauratus
Garden Tree Boa
Corallus hortulana
Common Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
Yellow-headed Sideneck
Podocnemis unifilis
Broad-headed Woodlizard
Enyalioides laticeps
South American Yellowfoot Tortoise
Chelonoidis denticulatus
Forest Whiptail
Kentropyx pelviceps
Blunthead Tree Snake
Imantodes cenchoa
📊 Most Spotted
South American Common Toad
Rhinella margaritifera
Ecuador Poison Frog
Ameerega bilinguis
Smoky Jungle Frog
Leptodactylus pentadactylus
Common Big-headed Frog
Oreobates quixensis
White-lined Leaf Frog
Phyllomedusa vaillantii
Giant Broad-headed Treefrog
Osteocephalus taurinus
Smooth-sided Toad
Rhaebo guttatus
Painted Antnest Frog
Lithodytes lineatus
Eastern Cane Toad
Rhinella marina
Canelos Treefrog
Boana appendiculata
Painted Forest Toadlet
Engystomops petersi
Rough-skinned Green Tree Frog
Boana cinerascens
Recent sightings in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Anacondas and Black Caimans
Green anacondas are found on the banks and black caimans hold the lagoon edges, both at their most reported of the year.
2Frog Chorus in the Flooded Forest
Rainforest toads and poison frogs breed as the water rises, calling from the flooded understorey after dark.
3Monkey Troops over the Lagoons
Squirrel monkeys and woolly monkeys work the canopy along the water, when they are seen on around three of every four trips.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Anacondas and Black Caimans
- 2Frog Chorus in the Flooded Forest
- 3Monkey Troops over the Lagoons
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
In that first afternoon alone, True and I were lucky enough to spot a gilded barbet, a squirrel cuckoo, and some tamarin monkeys.
We found many birds including vultures, swifts, several different species of herons, and the cooking bird, a flock of which creates a cacophony of sound similar to boiling water.
I see a tiger heron I stop in my tracks and think what a stunning bird.
Woolly monkey mother and her baby (hiding behind the tree) A lizard our guide spotted from a couple hundred metres away So many toucans!
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?
The most likely sightings are Yellow-rumped Cacique (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Russet-backed Oropendola (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Hoatzin (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Greater Ani (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers) — among 1414 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 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 Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, based on 331 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Common Woolly Monkey in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Common Woolly Monkey sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, based on 273 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Colombian Red Howler Monkey in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Colombian Red Howler Monkey sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, based on 233 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Hoatzin in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Hoatzin sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, based on 4,118 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
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
