All 5 in 3 days here: ~20%
City
San Salvador
🇸🇻 El Salvador
Central America, El Salvador 295 spp. recorded
San Salvador is the capital and largest city of El Salvador and of its eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. Wikipedia
13.727° N 89.177° W
🦜 Nature
295 Species sighted
64,160 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Aug Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
LC
Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine
Sphiggurus mexicanus
LC
Hooded Skunk
Mephitis macroura
LC
Spotted Paca
Cuniculus paca
LC
Pallas' Free-tailed Bat
Molossus molossus
LC
Sumichrast's Vesper Rat
Nyctomys sumichrasti
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Golden Spectacled Tegu
Gymnophthalmus speciosus
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Common Leaf-Litter Frog
Craugastor loki
LC
Highland Frog
Lithobates maculatus
LC
Guayaquil Dwarf Frog
Engystomops pustulosus
LC
Cliffy Stream Frog
Craugastor rupinius
LC
Black Jungle-Frog
Leptodactylus melanonotus
LC
Yellow Toad
Incilius luetkenii
LC
Black-eyed Tree Frog
Agalychnis moreletii
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Central American Lyresnake
Trimorphodon quadruplex
LC
Highland Frog
Lithobates maculatus
LC
Guayaquil Dwarf Frog
Engystomops pustulosus
LC
Lesser Nighthawk
Chordeiles acutipennis
LC
Hooded Skunk
Mephitis macroura
LC
Cope's Snail Sucker
Sibon anthracops
LC
Spotted Paca
Cuniculus paca
LC
Pallas' Free-tailed Bat
Molossus molossus
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in San Salvador
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Parque del Bicentenario (ANP El Espino-Bosque Los Pericos)
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Parque del Bicentenario · Sector Sur
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Parque bicentenario · Sector Norte
-
Jardín Botánico La Laguna
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
24Jan
24Feb
26Mar
26Apr
28May
27Jun
28Jul
29Aug
27Sep
26Oct
26Nov
25Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
0.3%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
2
areasWildlife spots
8
spotsZoos & centres
0
placesClimate
Tropical savanna
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
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 440
🐒 Mammals 140
🦎 Reptiles 110
🐸 Amphibians 31
721 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
17 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.8
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
64% 📊
Coverage (98 species at ≥5% of 721 in the inventory)
14% 🔀
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%)
15 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.0
Climate Pleasant High
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 0.3% land Low
Protected areas 2 Medium
Wildlife spots 8 Medium
Zoos & centres 0 Low
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in San Salvador?
295 species
San Salvador's urban area has 295 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are White-winged Dove (about 90%), Social Flycatcher (about 70%), Melodious Blackbird (about 70%), Clay-colored Thrush (about 70%) and Golden-fronted Woodpecker (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Variegated Squirrel (about 40%); among reptiles, Emerald Swift (about 30%); among amphibians, Greenhouse Frog (about 20%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in San Salvador?
March to August
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in September to February.
Can you see a Melodious Blackbird in San Salvador?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Melodious Blackbird sighting in San Salvador on a given day, based on 2,586 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April to August (about 80%).
Can you see a Clay-colored Thrush in San Salvador?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Clay-colored Thrush sighting in San Salvador on a given day, based on 2,654 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March to June (about 80%).
Can you see a Cinnamon-bellied Saltator in San Salvador?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnamon-bellied Saltator sighting in San Salvador on a given day, based on 2,104 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April to August (about 70%).
Where in San Salvador is wildlife easiest to see?
Parque del Bicentenario (ANP El Espino-Bosque Los Pericos)
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Parque del Bicentenario (ANP El Espino-Bosque Los Pericos) (154 bird species recorded), followed by Parque del Bicentenario · Sector Sur and Parque bicentenario · Sector Norte. See them on the map.
Is San Salvador good for wildlife watching?
3.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, San Salvador gets 3.8/5: 277th of 380 cities worldwide and 8th in Central America. 20 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