City
Arequipa
🇵🇪 Peru
South America, Peru 105 spp. recorded
Arequipa is a city in southern Peru and the capital of Arequipa Province and the Department of Arequipa. It is the official seat of the Constitutional Court of Peru and is known as the "Legal Capital of Peru". Wikipedia
16.382° S 71.546° W
🦜 Nature
105 Species sighted
23,737 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Spotted Paca
Cuniculus paca
LC
Northern Mountain Viscacha
Lagidium viscacia
No photo available
Davison's Mastiff Bat
Promops davisoni
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Peru Slender Snake
Tachymenis peruviana
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Spotted Paca
Cuniculus paca
Recent sightings in Arequipa
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Plaza de Armas de Arequipa
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Monasterio de Santa Catalina
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Río Chili · Malecón Vallecito
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PER Las Rocas de Chilina · Quebrada
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
15Jan
14Feb
14Mar
16Apr
15May
16Jun
15Jul
13Aug
15Sep
16Oct
14Nov
14Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
9
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Cold desert
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 199
🐒 Mammals 57
🦎 Reptiles 23
🐸 Amphibians 3
282 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
15 Threatened 5 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
78% 📊
Coverage (46 species at ≥5% of 282 in the inventory)
16% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🌟
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%)
14 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.7
Climate Harsh Low
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 9 Medium
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Arequipa?
105 species
Arequipa's urban area has 105 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Chiguanco Thrush (over 90%), Pacific Dove (about 90%), Rock Pigeon (about 90%), Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 90%) and Croaking Ground-Dove (about 90%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Peru Pacific Iguana (about 30%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Arequipa?
March–April and June–January
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 70% in February and May.
Can you see a Pacific Dove in Arequipa?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Dove sighting in Arequipa on a given day, based on 2,063 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July–September and November–January (over 90%).
Can you see an Oasis Hummingbird in Arequipa?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an Oasis Hummingbird sighting in Arequipa on a given day, based on 1,515 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–February, June, September and November (about 90%).
Can you see a Croaking Ground-Dove in Arequipa?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Croaking Ground-Dove sighting in Arequipa on a given day, based on 2,001 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March, May and November–December (over 90%).
Where in Arequipa is wildlife easiest to see?
Puente Bolognesi
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Puente Bolognesi (29 bird species recorded), followed by Plaza de Armas de Arequipa and Puente Grau. See them on the map.
Is Arequipa good for wildlife watching?
3.6 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Arequipa gets 3.6/5: 296th of 380 cities worldwide and 41st in South America. 15 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
Nearest Zoos & Centres
Sources: urban area GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A, European Commission JRC (CC BY 4.0) · protected land WDPA, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN (via GHSL) · climate NASA POWER · wildlife GBIF.org citizen-science data