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Birding in Panama?

Best birding sites in Panama City

The 2025 edition of the official list of birds in Panama has been updated by Audubon Panama, revealing that our small nation now hosts an incredible 1,030 bird species. This confirmation proves that birding in Panama remains a world-class experience, offering more biodiversity in a compact area than almost anywhere else on Earth.

Panama is one of the 5 places on Earth where you can see massive bird migrations and here are some of the best places to spot them.

cerro ancón

Cerro Ancón

Cerro Ancón is famously known as the largest raptor count site in all of Panama because it provides a perfect vantage point to see millions of birds soaring right over the city skyline. During the peak of the fall migration in late October, you can witness massive kettles of Broad-winged Hawks and Swainson’s Hawks as they follow the warm air thermals southward. This historic hilltop offers a front-row seat to one of the world’s greatest natural events, where Turkey Vultures and Mississippi Kites join the migratory flow in staggering numbers.

To reach this iconic summit without the hassle of navigating local traffic, you can hire our ground transportation services.

To reach the Cerro Ancón summit you’ll have to hike around 20min on a steep pavement road, no cars allowed.  At the top, you’ll have a great view of Panama City, Casco Viejo and the Panama Canal entrance as well as the biggest Panamanian flag in the city.

cerro ancón

Panama Bay

The Bay of Panama is a globally significant Ramsar Wetland where up to two million birds can be recorded in a single day during the busy October migration.

Shorebirds like the Marbled Godwit and various sandpipers fill the extensive mudflats to rest and refuel before they continue their long journey to the southern hemisphere. It is truly a humbling experience to stand on the shoreline and watch these massive flocks move together like a single living organism against the backdrop of the ocean.

One of the most popular sites to see the migration in Panama Bay is the Panama Viejo Archeological site included in our City Tour by car day tour.

Get the Audubon official Panama birds list.
metropolitan park

Metropolitan Park

This massive forest is located right inside the city limits and is home to the endemic yellow-green tyrannulet and the beautiful rosy thrush-tanager. It is one of the few places in the world where you can experience high-quality tropical nature while still being only minutes away from your comfortable hotel room. The park protects 232 hectares of tropical dry forest, making it a vital sanctuary for both resident birds and migratory songbirds that pass through each season.

This park is the easiest to get to as it is close to Albrook Mall and the National Bus Terminal.

The park has many mapped trails you can take and some of them can be done in less than 1 hour.

cerro ancón

Panama Rainforest Discovery Center

The Panama Rainforest Discovery Center is a world-class facility located near the legendary Pipeline Trail within the Soberania National Park, which has recorded over 400 unique bird species.

Its most famous feature is the special observation tower that allows birders to climb 32 meters high into the forest canopy to see spectacular species at eye level. From this height, you can look for the rufous-vented ground cuckoo or the wing-banded antbird while enjoying a perspective that is usually reserved for the birds themselves

To get there, the best is to move with our ground transportation services and make reservations for a guide on their website.  You can enjoy the tower and the trail by yourself and it is not advisable to go alone.