Masaya Volcano National Park
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Pacific Nicaragua, Nicaragua 580 spp. recorded
Masaya is the rare park where you drive to the rim of an active crater. Its best-known animals are the chocoyos — Pacific parakeets that nest on the inner walls of the Santiago crater and fly in and out through the volcanic gases.
11.995° N 86.161° W
🦜 Nature
250 Species sighted
50,013 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Feb Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 428 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Masaya Volcano National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
28Jan
29Feb
27Mar
25Apr
27May
25Jun
24Jul
27Aug
24Sep
26Oct
25Nov
27Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Quinta Doris
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Clay-colored Thrush~90%≈
Rufous-backed Wren~90%≈
White-winged Dove~90%≈
Hoffmann's Woodpecker~80%+10%
Green Iguana~80%+40%
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana~80%+40%
Cinnamon-bellied Saltator~70%-10%
Melodious Blackbird~70%≈
Great Kiskadee~70%≈
Turquoise-browed Motmot~70%+10%
Tropical Kingbird~70%-10%
Scrub Euphonia~60%≈
-
El cause trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Clay-colored Thrush~90%≈
- White-winged Dove~80%-10%
- Hoffmann's Woodpecker~80%≈
- Great Kiskadee~80%≈
Ruddy Ground-Dove~70%≈- Tropical Kingbird~70%-10%
Cinnamon Hummingbird~70%≈- Rufous-backed Wren~70%-20%
- Cinnamon-bellied Saltator~70%-20%
- Turquoise-browed Motmot~60%≈
- Scrub Euphonia~40%-20%
- Melodious Blackbird~20%-60%
-
Intur Tourism Office
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Variegated Squirrel~90%+60%
Common House Gecko~80%+50%- White-winged Dove~70%-20%
- Clay-colored Thrush~60%-30%
Derby's Woolly Opossum~60%+40%
White-throated Gecko~60%+40%- Hoffmann's Woodpecker~60%-20%
- Great Kiskadee~60%-20%
- Tropical Kingbird~50%-30%
- Rufous-backed Wren~40%-40%
- Melodious Blackbird~40%-40%
- Turquoise-browed Motmot~40%-20%
-
Volcan Masaya Crater
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.1
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 334
🐒 Mammals 140
🦎 Reptiles 87
🐸 Amphibians 19
580 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
11 Threatened 58 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
77% 📊
Coverage (110 species at ≥5% of 580 in the inventory)
19% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
56 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
20 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.0
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
Before you go
What animals can you see in Masaya Volcano National Park?
580 species
Masaya Volcano National Park has 580 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Clay-colored Thrush (about 90%), White-winged Dove (about 90%), Rufous-backed Wren (about 90%), Cinnamon-bellied Saltator (about 80%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Variegated Squirrel (about 30%); among reptiles, Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (about 40%); among amphibians, Mexican Smilisca (about 30%).
When is the best time to visit Masaya Volcano National Park for wildlife?
January to July
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 70% in August to December.
Can you see a Pacific Parakeet in Masaya Volcano National Park?
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Parakeet sighting in Masaya Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 220 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August and September (about 20%). Sightings take luck and time in the field.
Can you see a Black Spiny-tailed Iguana in Masaya Volcano National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black Spiny-tailed Iguana sighting in Masaya Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January (about 60%).
Where in Masaya Volcano National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Quinta Doris
The richest sighting zone is around Quinta Doris, followed by El cause trail and Intur Tourism Office, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Masaya Volcano National Park good for wildlife watching?
2.9 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Masaya Volcano National Park rates 2.9/5: 294th of 316 parks worldwide and 46th in Central America. 22 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
