City
Phnom Penh
🇰🇭 Cambodia
Southeast Asia, Cambodia 237 spp. recorded
Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. The city's name derives from Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple, and Lady Penh, the city's founder. It sits at the confluence of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers, and is the start of the Bassac River. Wikipedia
11.555° N 104.877° E
🦜 Nature
237 Species sighted
47,121 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Dec Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Indochinese Ground Squirrel
Menetes berdmorei
LC
Whiskered Myotis
Myotis muricola
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
LC
Golden Tree Snake
Chrysopelea ornata
LC
Ayeyarwady Forest Agama
Calotes irawadi
LC
Dhaman
Ptyas mucosa
LC
Oriental Long-tailed Grass Lizard
Takydromus sexlineatus
LC
Mutilating Gecko
Gehyra mutilata
LC
Rainbow Mud Snake
Enhydris enhydris
LC
White-lipped Pit Viper
Trimeresurus albolabris
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Spot-legged Tree Frog
Polypedates megacephalus
LC
Round-tongued Floating Frog
Occidozyga martensii
LC
Alpine Cricket Frog
Fejervarya limnocharis
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
Recent sightings in Phnom Penh
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Phnom Penh International Airport
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
28Jan
27Feb
30Mar
31Apr
25May
26Jun
28Jul
26Aug
25Sep
28Oct
30Nov
31Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
4
spotsZoos & centres
0
placesClimate
Tropical savanna
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 509
🐒 Mammals 125
🦎 Reptiles 120
🐸 Amphibians 27
781 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
66 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.5
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
77% 📊
Coverage (105 species at ≥5% of 781 in the inventory)
13% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 reptile)
20% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
0 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
26 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.3
Climate Pleasant High
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 4 Medium
Zoos & centres 0 Low
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Phnom Penh?
237 species
Phnom Penh's urban area has 237 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Yellow-vented Bulbul (over 90%), Zebra Dove (about 90%), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (about 90%), Rock Pigeon (about 80%) and White-nest Swiftlet (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Pallas's Squirrel (about 50%); among reptiles, Flat-tailed House Gecko (about 60%); among amphibians, Asian Painted Frog (about 50%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Phnom Penh?
February–September and November–December
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 70% in January and October.
Can you see a Yellow-vented Bulbul in Phnom Penh?
Yes
Over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-vented Bulbul sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 2,469 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–February, April–June, August–September and November (over 90%).
Can you see an Ayeyarwady Bulbul in Phnom Penh?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an Ayeyarwady Bulbul sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 1,468 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–July and November–December (about 70%).
Can you see a Malaysian Pied-Fantail in Phnom Penh?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Malaysian Pied-Fantail sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 1,759 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and August (about 90%).
Where in Phnom Penh is wildlife easiest to see?
Wat Phnom
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Wat Phnom (95 bird species recorded), followed by Royal Palace and Phnom Penh--vicinity. See them on the map.
Is Phnom Penh good for wildlife watching?
4.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Phnom Penh gets 4.5/5: 93rd of 380 cities worldwide and 9th in Southeast Asia. 27 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