All 6 in 3 days here: <5%
City
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
Africa, South Africa 385 spp. recorded
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the capital and largest city of the Western Cape, and the country's second-most populous city, after Johannesburg. Wikipedia
33.958° S 18.567° E
🦜 Nature
385 Species sighted
104,281 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Dec Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Cape Town
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Cape Town Intl Airport
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
46Jan
43Feb
42Mar
46Apr
43May
39Jun
42Jul
40Aug
46Sep
47Oct
45Nov
47Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
3%
Protected sea
3%
Protected areas
23
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Mediterranean
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
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
5.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 537
🐒 Mammals 160
🦎 Reptiles 88
🐸 Amphibians 32
817 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
52 Threatened 37 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.1
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
60% 📊
Coverage (150 species at ≥5% of 817 in the inventory)
18% 🔀
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)
5 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
17 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.7
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea 3% land · 3% sea Medium
Protected areas 23 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Cape Town?
385 species
Cape Town's urban area has 385 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Cape White-eye (about 70%), European Starling (about 70%), Red-eyed Dove (about 70%), Cape Sparrow (about 70%) and Egyptian Goose (about 60%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 30%); among reptiles, Cape Dwarf Chameleon (about 50%); among amphibians, Western Leopard Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Cape Town?
July
In that month the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in February. That is one of Cape Town's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 15 mm in February.
Can you see a Cape White-eye in Cape Town?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Cape White-eye sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 3,335 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March–April, July, September and November (about 80%).
Can you see a Southern Double-collared Sunbird in Cape Town?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Double-collared Sunbird sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 2,165 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 70%).
Can you see a Cape Sparrow in Cape Town?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Sparrow sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 2,949 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August (about 80%).
Where in Cape Town is wildlife easiest to see?
Rondevlei NR (Cape Town)
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Rondevlei NR (Cape Town) (160 bird species recorded), followed by V&A Waterfront and Intaka Island. See them on the map.
Is Cape Town good for wildlife watching?
4.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Cape Town gets 4.3/5: 130th of 380 cities worldwide and 15th in Africa. 26 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