San Lorenzo Protected Forest
🇵🇦 Panama
🐦 Keel-billed Toucans in the Coastal ForestSan Lorenzo Protected Forest guards 9,653 hectares of Caribbean lowland rainforest at the mouth of the Chagres River where it meets the Panama Canal. Each October, the skies above the forest fill with millions of migrating raptors — one of the greatest raptor migration spectacles on Earth.
9.239° N 79.976° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Keel-billed Toucan
Ramphastos sulfuratus
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Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
★ 
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
★ 
American Crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
📊 Most Spotted
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus susurrans
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Brotogeris jugularis
Black-mandibled Toucan
Ramphastos ambiguus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Melanerpes rubricapillus
Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
Forest Toad
Rhinella alata
Squirrel Cuckoo
Piaya cayana
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Geoffroy’s Tamarin
Saguinus geoffroyi
Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
Amber Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus ravus
Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
Derby's Woolly Opossum
Caluromys derbianus
Central American Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi
Variegated Squirrel
Sciurus variegatoides
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus susurrans
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Brotogeris jugularis
Black-mandibled Toucan
Ramphastos ambiguus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Melanerpes rubricapillus
Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
Squirrel Cuckoo
Piaya cayana
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
Humble Anole
Anolis humilis
Striped Vine Snake
Oxybelis vittatus
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Dusky Giant Ameiva
Ameiva praesignis
Fer-de-lance
Bothrops asper
Lichen Anole
Anolis pentaprion
Turniptail Gecko
Thecadactylus rapicauda
Middle American Ameiva
Holcosus festivus
Black-necked Centipede Snake
Tantilla armillata
Common Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
Animal Events
2Howler Monkey Breeding Season
During the dry-season breeding peak, Mantled Howler troops become impossible to miss, their thunderous dawn choruses rolling through the canopy for over a kilometer. Females carry clinging infants as tight-knit family groups move through the trees.
1Autumn Raptor Migration Spectacle
Rivers of Turkey Vultures and Broad-winged Hawks pour along the Caribbean side of the canal, spiraling into vast swirling kettles that darken the sky, with slender Plumbeous Kites cutting through the stream. It is one of the planet's greatest raptor migrations, funneled right overhead.
3Neotropical Migrant Songbird Season
Warblers and tanagers that nested far to the north flood into the Canal-zone forests to overwinter, with jewel-toned Chestnut-sided and Bay-breasted Warblers and flame-red Summer Tanagers foraging alongside resident species. Their arrival swells the park's already exceptional bird diversity.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Autumn Raptor Migration Spectacle
- 2Howler Monkey Breeding Season
- 3Neotropical Migrant Songbird Season
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
Quick answers
What animals can you see in San Lorenzo Protected Forest?
The most likely sightings are Keel-billed Toucan (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Cocoa Woodcreeper (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Black Vulture (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Orange-chinned Parakeet (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Black-mandibled Toucan (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers) — among 1048 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit San Lorenzo Protected Forest 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 Keel-billed Toucan in San Lorenzo Protected Forest?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Keel-billed Toucan sighting in San Lorenzo Protected Forest, based on 110 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Mantled Howler Monkey in San Lorenzo Protected Forest?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Howler Monkey sighting in San Lorenzo Protected Forest, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see White-nosed Coati in San Lorenzo Protected Forest?
Yes — about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-nosed Coati sighting in San Lorenzo Protected Forest, based on 1 verified sighting from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see American Crocodile in San Lorenzo Protected Forest?
Yes — about 20% of wildlife watchers report a American Crocodile sighting in San Lorenzo Protected Forest, based on 5 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
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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