Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca
🇲🇽 Mexico
North America, Mexico 703 spp. recorded
Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca sits within the rugged mountain highlands of central Mexico, protecting a cool tropical pine forest shaped by steep volcanic ridges and dense evergreen canopies. Winding dirt footpaths cross through towering fir trees and damp leaf litter, where the habitat transitions from high-altitude woodland to shaded ravines.
19.583° N 100.259° W
🦜 Nature
235 Species sighted
4,822 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Nov Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Monarch
Danaus plexippus
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 589 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
26Jan
28Feb
26Mar
6.9Apr
26May
5.9Jun
6.1Jul
3.9Aug
7.7Sep
22Oct
28Nov
26Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca · Sierra Chincua
-
Macheros (pueblo)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Yellow-eyed Junco~60%-20%
White-eared Hummingbird~60%-20%
Yellow-rumped Warbler~50%≈
Orange-crowned Warbler~50%≈
Mexican Violetear~50%-10%
House Finch~40%≈
Ruby-crowned Kinglet~40%-30%
Slate-throated Redstart~40%-10%
Townsend's Warbler~40%-10%
American Robin~40%-10%
Red Warbler~20%-30%
Brown-backed Solitaire~10%-30%
-
Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca · El Rosario
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- White-eared Hummingbird~60%-20%
- Mexican Violetear~50%≈
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet~50%-30%
- Yellow-eyed Junco~40%-30%
- Brown-backed Solitaire~40%≈
- House Finch~30%-10%
- Red Warbler~30%-20%
- American Robin~30%-20%
- Slate-throated Redstart~20%-30%
- Orange-crowned Warbler~20%-30%
- Yellow-rumped Warbler~20%-30%
- Townsend's Warbler~20%-30%
-
San Isidro River
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
North park edge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 447
🐒 Mammals 140
🦎 Reptiles 76
🐸 Amphibians 40
703 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
22 Threatened 208 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.4
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
56% 📊
Coverage (136 species at ≥5% of 703 in the inventory)
19% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 amphibian)
20% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
85 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
2 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
16 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.8
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca?
703 species
Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca has 703 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Yellow-eyed Junco (about 80%), White-eared Hummingbird (about 80%), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (about 70%), Mexican Violetear (about 50%) and Red Warbler (about 50%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Graphic Spiny Lizard (about 40%); among amphibians, Michoacan Stream Salamander (about 50%).
When is the best time to visit Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca for wildlife?
January–February and November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 60% on a given day, against about 40% in October. Those are among Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 270 mm in July.
Can you see a Monarch in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Monarch sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 599 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and March (over 90%).
Can you see a Yellow-eyed Junco in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-eyed Junco sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 221 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, May and December (about 90%).
Can you see a White-eared Hummingbird in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a White-eared Hummingbird sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 227 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December (about 90%).
Can you see a Michoacan Stream Salamander in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Michoacan Stream Salamander sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, July and September (about 70%).
Where in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca · Sierra Chincua
The richest sighting zone is around Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca · Sierra Chincua, followed by Macheros (pueblo) and Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca · El Rosario, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca good for wildlife watching?
3.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca rates 3.0/5: 289th of 316 parks worldwide and 54th in North America. 22 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
