City
Cotonou
🇧🇯 Benin
Africa, Benin 143 spp. recorded
Cotonou is the seat of government and largest city of Benin. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies in the southeast of the country, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Nokoué. Wikipedia
6.459° N 2.409° E
🦜 Nature
143 Species sighted
444 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Mar Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Gambian Rat
Cricetomys gambianus
LC
Greater Cane Rat
Thryonomys swinderianus
LC
Yellow-winged Bat
Lavia frons
LC
Thomas's Rope Squirrel
Funisciurus anerythrus
NT
Mona Monkey
Cercopithecus mona
LC
Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat
Epomophorus gambianus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Nile Monitor
Varanus niloticus
LC
Rainbow Agama
Agama agama
LC
Forest Cobra
Naja melanoleuca
LC
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
LC
African Redhead Agama
Agama picticauda
LC
Bosc's Monitor
Varanus exanthematicus
LC
Red-lipped Snake
Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia
West African Crocodile
Crocodylus suchus
Western hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys nogueyi
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Egyptian Toad
Sclerophrys regularis
LC
Hallowell's Toad
Sclerophrys maculata
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
LC
Yellow-winged Bat
Lavia frons
LC
Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat
Epomophorus gambianus
LC
African Wood-Owl
Strix woodfordii
Recent sightings in Cotonou
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
6.6Jan
1.3Feb
7.8Mar
1.2Apr
1.6May
2Jun
5.5Jul
1.5Aug
0.8Sep
2.2Oct
7.8Nov
3.5Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Medium
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
0
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Tropical savanna
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
4.7
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 557
🐒 Mammals 172
🦎 Reptiles 141
🐸 Amphibians 30
900 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
41 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
27% 📊
Coverage (75 species at ≥5% of 900 in the inventory)
8% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (9 bird, 3 reptile)
50% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
1 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.5
Climate Pleasant High
Green cover Medium Medium
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 0 Low
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Cotonou?
143 species
Cotonou's urban area has 143 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Laughing Dove (about 40%), Black Kite (about 40%), Pied Crow (about 30%), Common Bulbul (about 30%) and Speckled Pigeon (about 30%).
Can you see a Speckled Pigeon in Cotonou?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Pigeon sighting in Cotonou on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see a Pied Crow in Cotonou?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pied Crow sighting in Cotonou on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see a Common Bulbul in Cotonou?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Bulbul sighting in Cotonou on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Is Cotonou good for wildlife watching?
2.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Cotonou gets 2.8/5: 360th of 380 cities worldwide and 41st in Africa. 2 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