Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Oceania, New Zealand 151 spp. recorded
Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is a dramatic alpine sanctuary located in the heart of New Zealand's South Island, dominated by towering snow-capped peaks, massive glaciers, and rugged rocky terrain. Visitors traverse steep mountain tracks and open subalpine scrublands surrounded by dramatic ice-carved valleys.
-43.589° S 170.268° E
🦜 Nature
65 Species sighted
5,057 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Feb Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 109 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
18Jan
18Feb
16Mar
16Apr
15May
12Jun
12Jul
13Aug
15Sep
15Oct
14Nov
17Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Tasman Glacier Car Park
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 131
🐒 Mammals 11
🦎 Reptiles 7
🐸 Amphibians 2
151 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
26 Threatened 37 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.5
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
70% 📊
Coverage (41 species at ≥5% of 151 in the inventory)
27% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
34 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
1 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
15 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.8
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage Yes Bonus
Before you go
What animals can you see in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?
151 species
Aoraki Mount Cook National Park has 151 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Chaffinch (about 90%), Eurasian Blackbird (about 90%), Grey Warbler (about 80%), Silvereye (about 80%) and Paradise Shelduck (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Common Brushtail (about 40%); among reptiles, Common New Zealand Skink (about 20%).
When is the best time to visit Aoraki Mount Cook National Park for wildlife?
September to May
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in July and August.
Can you see a Common Brushtail in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Brushtail sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May and September (about 70%).
Where in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Hooker Glacier Track
The richest sighting zone is around Hooker Glacier Track, followed by Governor's Bush Walk and Mueller Lookout Walk, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Aoraki Mount Cook National Park good for wildlife watching?
2.4 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park rates 2.4/5: 316th of 316 parks worldwide and 30th in Oceania. 17 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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