Itatiaia National Park
🇧🇷 Brazil
🐒 Capuchin and Alpine Toad HighlandsItatiaia stacks Atlantic forest below and open alpine grassland above 2,000 m, and each level has its own animal. Black-horned capuchins are recorded on nine visits in ten in the lower forest, and the Itatiaia highland toad — a small dark frog that lives only on these summits — on nearly as many trips to the top.
-22.361° S 44.667° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Mono Cai
Sapajus nigritus
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Maldonada redbelly toad
Melanophryniscus moreirae
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Red-breasted Toucan
Ramphastos dicolorus
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Black-and-gold Cotinga
Lipaugus ater
📊 Most Spotted
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Zonotrichia capensis
Dusky-legged Guan
Penelope obscura
Saffron Finch
Sicalis flaveola
Brazilian Ruby
Clytolaema rubricauda
Golden-crowned Warbler
Basileuterus culicivorus
Maroon-bellied Parakeet
Pyrrhura frontalis
Rufous-bellied Thrush
Turdus rufiventris
Picazuro Pigeon
Patagioenas picazuro
Blue-and-white Swallow
Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Violet-capped Woodnymph
Thalurania glaucopis
White-eyed Parakeet
Aratinga leucophthalma
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Tayra
Eira barbara
Crab-eating Fox
Cerdocyon thous
Black-fronted Titi Monkey
Callicebus nigrifrons
Maned Wolf
Chrysocyon brachyurus
Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Yellow Pygmy Rice Rat
Oligoryzomys flavescens
Nine-banded Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
Atlantic Forest hocicudo
Oxymycterus dasytrichus
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
South American Coati
Nasua nasua
Southern Tamandua
Tamandua tetradactyla
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Zonotrichia capensis
Dusky-legged Guan
Penelope obscura
Saffron Finch
Sicalis flaveola
Brazilian Ruby
Clytolaema rubricauda
Golden-crowned Warbler
Basileuterus culicivorus
Maroon-bellied Parakeet
Pyrrhura frontalis
Rufous-bellied Thrush
Turdus rufiventris
Picazuro Pigeon
Patagioenas picazuro
Blue-and-white Swallow
Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Violet-capped Woodnymph
Thalurania glaucopis
White-eyed Parakeet
Aratinga leucophthalma
📊 Most Spotted
Argentine Black-and-white Tegu
Salvator merianae
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
Yarará Lancehead
Bothrops jararaca
Neuwied's False Fer-de-lance
Xenodon neuwiedii
Paraguay Mabuya
Aspronema dorsivittatum
Jiboinha
Tropidodryas striaticeps
Jackson's Fathead Anole
Enyalius perditus
Aesculapian False Coral Snake
Erythrolamprus aesculapii
Two-headed Sipo
Chironius bicarinatus
Chicken Snake
Spilotes pullatus
Neotropical Rattlesnake
Crotalus durissus
Painted Coral Snake
Micrurus corallinus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Yellow Cururu Toad
Rhinella icterica
Blacksmith Tree Frog
Boana faber
Pumpkin Toadlet
Brachycephalus ephippium
Cope's Eastern Paraguay Tree Frog
Boana polytaenia
Clay Robber Frog
Haddadus binotatus
Mantiqueira Smooth-horned Frog
Proceratophrys mantiqueira
Boie's Frog
Proceratophrys boiei
Teresopolis Treefrog
Aplastodiscus arildae
Elegant Forest Tree Frog
Dendropsophus elegans
Guinle Treefrog
Aplastodiscus leucopygius
Corcovado Tree Frog
Dendropsophus seniculus
Leopard Tree Frog
Boana pardalis
Recent sightings in Itatiaia National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Highland Toads on the Summits
The endemic Itatiaia highland toad emerges among the summit rocks during its brief breeding season.
2Capuchins and Tegus in
Black capuchins forage around the park roads while tegu lizards bask in the summer heat.
3Hummingbird Feeder Gatherings
Black jacobins and frilled coquettes crowd the lodge feeders and flowering trees.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Highland Toads on the Summits
- 2Capuchins and Tegus in
- 3Hummingbird Feeder Gatherings
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
We found the nest of a Blue-naped Chlorophonia in a mossy boulder and had smashing looks at Slaty Bristlefront, a tapaculo that is normally difficult to see.
White-throated Spadebill White-throated Spadebill Lesser Woodcreeper Brown-breasted Pygmy-Tyrant While Crested Caracara are ubiquitous and can be found in many habitats, we weren’t really expecting to see one this high and in such a foggy environment.
We quickly moved towards a small flock with a Large-tailed Antshrike male singing in the bamboo bushes! and kept birding along the road until we finally reached a high area and watched one of the most range restricted birds here, the Itatiaia Spinetail!
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Itatiaia National Park?
The most likely sightings are Rufous-collared Sparrow (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Dusky-legged Guan (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Saffron Finch (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Brazilian Ruby (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Golden-crowned Warbler (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 1276 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Itatiaia National Park for wildlife?
September 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 Mono Cai in Itatiaia National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Mono Cai sighting in Itatiaia National Park, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Maldonada redbelly toad in Itatiaia National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Maldonada redbelly toad sighting in Itatiaia National Park, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Red-breasted Toucan in Itatiaia National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Red-breasted Toucan sighting in Itatiaia National Park, based on 908 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Black-and-gold Cotinga in Itatiaia National Park?
Yes — about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-and-gold Cotinga sighting in Itatiaia National Park, based on 362 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
