Soberanía National Park

🇵🇦 Panama

🐦 Pipeline Road Toucan Birding
Canal Zone, Panama 1161 spp. recorded

Soberanía National Park protects 22,000 hectares of lowland tropical rainforest along the Panama Canal, just 45 minutes from Panama City. Its legendary Pipeline Road holds the world record for a Christmas Bird Count — 525+ bird species have been recorded in the park.

9.115° N   79.651° W

Wildlife

SIGHTING PROBABILITY Share of citizen-science records from the park that report this species
<5%
Rare
5–15%
With luck
15–40%
Possible
40–70%
Likely
>70%
Very likely
ACTIVITY PATTERN
☀️ Diurnal 🌙 Nocturnal 🌅 Crepuscular ☀️🌙 Day & Night

Animal Events

🐒

Geoffroy's Tamarin Breeding Season

JanFebMarApr

Barely bigger than a squirrel, the Geoffroy's Tamarin becomes especially animated during its breeding season, when family troops chase through the mid-story with high whistling calls. Look for these tiny black-and-white monkeys with pale crowns bounding between vines in tight, cooperative groups.

🦅

Fall Raptor Migration

OctNov

As the narrow isthmus funnels North America's raptors southward, immense swirling kettles of Turkey Vultures and Broad-winged Hawks pour overhead in living rivers of wings. Watch them spiral up on thermals and stream past in the tens of thousands over the forest canopy.

🐦

Boreal Migrant Songbird Peak

JanFebMarOctNovDec

A wave of northern songbirds floods the forest, filling the canopy with the golden flash of Yellow Warblers, the rich red of Summer Tanagers, and the streaked flanks of Bay-breasted Warblers. Mixed feeding flocks make every branch flicker with restless, brightly colored migrants refueling on their long journey south.

Sighting Calendar

Chance of spotting each species, month by month

Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Species Total
60–70
50–60
60–70
60–70
50–60
60–70
50–60
50–60
60–70
60–70
50–60
60–70
60–70
50–60
50–60
60–70
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
70–80
60–70
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
60–70
60–70
60–70
70–80
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
70–80
60–70
50–60
60–70
50–60
60–70
70–80
60–70
60–70
60–70
40–50
40–50
40–50
50–60
40–50
40–50
50–60
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
70–80
70–80
60–70
70–80
60–70
60–70
70–80
70–80
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
70–80
60–70
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
50–60
50–60
40–50
60–70
70–80
60–70
70–80
70–80
60–70
50–60
60–70
70–80
60–70
60–70
50–60
50–60
60–70
70–80
50–60
50–60
60–70
60–70
60–70
60–70
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
60–70
60–70
60–70
70–80
60–70
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
60–70
50–60
60–70
50–60
50–60
60–70
60–70
50–60
40–50
60–70
50–60
60–70
50–60
40–50
60–70
60–70
50–60
60–70
50–60
40–50
50–60
60–70
50–60
50–60
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
40–50
60–70
70–80
70–80
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
40–50
50–60
50–60
40–50
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
40–50
50–60
50–60
60–70
40–50
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
50–60
60–70
60–70
40–50
50–60
50–60
40–50
40–50
Animal Events
🐒 Geoffroy's Tamarin Breeding Season
🐦 Boreal Migrant Songbird Peak
🦅 Fall Raptor Migration

Sighting Zones

Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.

0.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ World-class
🐦 Pipeline Road Toucan Birding

Where Wildlife Score

How good is this park for seeing wildlife?
🦜

Biodiversity

Very good

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg
4.3 ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds
695
🐒 Mammals
216
🦎 Reptiles
157
🐸 Amphibians
93
1161 Total Species
841 Global average across 280 parks
28 Threatened 60 Endemic
🔭

Sighting

Excellent

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg
4.8 ★★★★★ ★★★★★
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
62% Global avg
63%
📊
Coverage (347 species at ≥5% of 1161 in the inventory)
24% Global avg
30%
🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (7 bird, 4 mammal, 1 amphibian)
47% Global avg
72%
🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
132 Global avg
216
🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
14 Global avg
28
High-prob species (>40%)
26 Global avg
44
⚖️

Soberanía or ?

Compare species and sighting probabilities

Compare parks