All 2 in 3 days here: ~20%
City
San José
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Central America, Costa Rica 608 spp. recorded
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of San José Province. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley. San José is Costa Rica's seat of national government, focal point of political and economic activity, and major transportation hub. Wikipedia
9.947° N 84.130° W
🦜 Nature
608 Species sighted
476,166 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Oct Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Fitzinger's Robber Frog
Craugastor fitzingeri
LC
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
LC
Forrer's Grass Frog
Lithobates forreri
LC
Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in San José
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Parque Metropolitano La Sabana
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Villa San Ignacio, Alajuela
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Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría
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Universidad de Costa Rica · Campus Rodrigo Facio
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Universidad de Costa Rica · Instalaciones Deportivas
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Charrales en Ayarco Este
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
39Jan
38Feb
39Mar
42Apr
41May
39Jun
43Jul
44Aug
45Sep
47Oct
39Nov
41Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
100%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
4
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
3
placesClimate
Tropical monsoon
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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 850
🐒 Mammals 251
🦎 Reptiles 189
🐸 Amphibians 127
1417 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
52 Threatened 26 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.2
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
71% 📊
Coverage (115 species at ≥5% of 1417 in the inventory)
8% 🔀
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)
4 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
20 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
5.0
Climate Pleasant High
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 100% land High
Protected areas 4 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 3 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in San José?
608 species
San José's urban area has 608 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Clay-colored Thrush (about 90%), Great Kiskadee (about 80%), Blue-gray Tanager (about 80%), White-winged Dove (about 80%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Variegated Squirrel (about 50%); among reptiles, Emerald Swift (about 30%); among amphibians, Giant Marine Toad (about 20%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in San José?
Any time of year
Wildlife is about as easy to see all year: the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day in every month with enough records.
Can you see a Crimson-fronted Parakeet in San José?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-fronted Parakeet sighting in San José on a given day, based on 13,642 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June to October (about 70%).
Can you see a Hoffmann's Woodpecker in San José?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Hoffmann's Woodpecker sighting in San José on a given day, based on 14,099 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 80%).
Can you see a Clay-colored Thrush in San José?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Clay-colored Thrush sighting in San José on a given day, based on 20,131 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February to June (about 90%).
Where in San José is wildlife easiest to see?
Hotel Bougainvillea
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Hotel Bougainvillea (266 bird species recorded), followed by Hotel Robledal and Parque Metropolitano La Sabana. See them on the map.
Is San José good for wildlife watching?
4.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, San José gets 4.5/5: 109th of 380 cities worldwide and 3rd in Central America. 24 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