City
Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
South America, Chile 170 spp. recorded
Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Wikipedia
33.472° S 70.671° W
🦜 Nature
170 Species sighted
186,725 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Nov Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Brown Hare
Lepus europaeus
LC
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
LC
Lesser Grison
Galictis cuja
LC
Coruro
Spalacopus cyanus
LC
big-eared brown bat
Histiotus macrotus
LC
Elegant Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum
Thylamys elegans
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Spotted False Monitor
Callopistes maculatus
LC
Peak Tree Iguana
Liolaemus monticola
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Brown Hare
Lepus europaeus
LC
Dusky Tapaculo
Scytalopus fuscus
Recent sightings in Santiago
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Parque Bicentenario de Vitacura (no contar cisnes)
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Campus Juan Gómez Millas · Universidad de Chile
-
Parque Los Presidentes
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Cerro San Cristóbal · Jardín Mapulemu
-
Campus Sur · Universidad de Chile
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
29Jan
30Feb
27Mar
27Apr
26May
23Jun
23Jul
24Aug
29Sep
32Oct
32Nov
30Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
2
placesClimate
Mediterranean
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.4
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 247
🐒 Mammals 53
🦎 Reptiles 28
🐸 Amphibians 7
335 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
10 Threatened 4 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
70% 📊
Coverage (56 species at ≥5% of 335 in the inventory)
17% 🔀
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)
1 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
17 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.2
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 2 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Santiago?
170 species
Santiago's urban area has 170 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Eared Dove (over 90%), Austral Thrush (over 90%), Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 90%), Southern House Wren (about 90%) and Monk Parakeet (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Mexican Free-tailed Bat (about 20%); among reptiles, Blue-Green Smooth-throated Lizard (about 50%); among amphibians, African Clawed Frog (about 10%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Santiago?
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 an Austral Thrush in Santiago?
Yes
Over 90% of wildlife watchers report an Austral Thrush sighting in Santiago on a given day, based on 20,022 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see an Austral Blackbird in Santiago?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an Austral Blackbird sighting in Santiago on a given day, based on 5,624 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May and August–November (about 60%).
Can you see a Blue-Green Smooth-throated Lizard in Santiago?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Green Smooth-throated Lizard sighting in Santiago on a given day, based on 371 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is November (about 70%).
Where in Santiago is wildlife easiest to see?
Parque Bicentenario de Vitacura (no contar cisnes)
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Parque Bicentenario de Vitacura (no contar cisnes) (67 bird species recorded), followed by Campus San Joaquín and Cerro Los Piques. See them on the map.
Is Santiago good for wildlife watching?
3.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Santiago gets 3.5/5: 314th of 380 cities worldwide and 42nd in South America. 18 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
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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