City
Busan
🇰🇷 South Korea
Asia, South Korea 229 spp. recorded
Busan, officially Busan Metropolitan City, is the second most populous city in South Korea, after Seoul. It is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, with its port being South Korea's busiest and the sixth-busiest in the world. The surrounding "Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region" is South Korea's largest industrial area. Wikipedia
35.173° N 129.078° E
🦜 Nature
229 Species sighted
4,662 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Eurasian Red Squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
LC
Siberian Weasel
Mustela sibirica
Burunduk
Tamias sibiricus
LC
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
LC
River Cooter
Pseudemys concinna
Short-tailed Mamushi
Gloydius brevicaudus
LC
Peninsular Cooter
Pseudemys peninsularis
📊 Most Spotted
American Bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus
LC
Boreal Digging Frog
Kaloula borealis
LC
Imienpo Station frog
Glandirana emeljanovi
LC
Black-spotted Frog
Pelophylax nigromaculatus
LC
Japanese Tree Frog
Dryophytes japonicus
LC
Ueno's Brown Frog
Rana uenoi
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
Recent sightings in Busan
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
23Jan
18Feb
19Mar
26Apr
25May
23Jun
25Jul
22Aug
22Sep
22Oct
21Nov
21Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Medium
Protected land
2%
Protected sea
4%
Protected areas
12
areasWildlife spots
6
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Humid subtropical
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 410
🐒 Mammals 101
🦎 Reptiles 29
🐸 Amphibians 16
556 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
44 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.6
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
63% 📊
Coverage (103 species at ≥5% of 556 in the inventory)
19% 🔀
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%)
12 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.9
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Medium Medium
Protected land & sea 2% land · 4% sea Medium
Protected areas 12 High
Wildlife spots 6 Medium
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Busan?
229 species
Busan's urban area has 229 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Oriental Magpie (about 90%), Large-billed Crow (about 90%), Brown-eared Bulbul (about 80%), Black-tailed Gull (about 60%) and Cinereous Tit (about 60%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Schlegel's Japanese Gecko (about 30%); among amphibians, Asiatic Toad (about 30%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Busan?
April, July and December
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in February.
Can you see a Brown-eared Bulbul in Busan?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-eared Bulbul sighting in Busan on a given day, based on 256 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April–May, July and December (about 90%).
Can you see a Black-tailed Gull in Busan?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Gull sighting in Busan on a given day, based on 189 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August and September (about 80%).
Can you see a Warbling White-eye in Busan?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Warbling White-eye sighting in Busan on a given day, based on 144 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 80%).
Where in Busan is wildlife easiest to see?
Igidae Park
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Igidae Park (139 bird species recorded), followed by Dongbaek Park and Haeundae Beach. See them on the map.
Is Busan good for wildlife watching?
3.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Busan gets 3.8/5: 285th of 380 cities worldwide and 119th in Asia. 13 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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