Laguna del Tigre National Park

National Park · Guatemala

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Photo © Pablo Delkayak

Photo © Pablo Delkayak — CC BY 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the Petén lowlands dissolve into wetland and forest, Laguna del Tigre National Park protects one of Guatemala's most ecologically vital landscapes. This sprawling reserve encompasses a mosaic of freshwater lagoons, oxbow lakes, and seasonally flooded forests that rise into upland jungle, creating a refuge of extraordinary biological richness across nearly 200 square kilometers. The park's hydrology is the engine of its character: water levels fluctuate dramatically with the rainy season, transforming the terrain and triggering movements of wildlife across the reserve. Emergent forest canopy towers above the understory, while shallow lagoons fringed with reeds and aquatic vegetation support populations of wading birds, fish eagles, and waterbirds in numbers that fluctuate with water levels and season. The forest itself hosts small mammals, nocturnal predators, and arboreal primates, while reptiles thrive in and around the water systems. This is a park shaped by water, seasonality, and the ancient rhythms of a tropical lowland biome—a landscape where ecology and hydrology are inseparable.

For wildlife photographers and birdwatchers, Laguna del Tigre demands patience and timing. The dry season brings congregations of waterbirds to shrinking lagoons, creating dramatic opportunities; the wet season transforms the park into an even more impenetrable wilderness but rewards those who navigate it with solitude and unfiltered ecological intensity. Light at dawn across open water and forest edge is exceptional, particularly during early dry months when mist clings to the lagoons and bird activity peaks. Access requires planning—the park's remoteness and wetland character mean that serious naturalists should work with experienced local guides familiar with the seasonal rhythms and the reserve's intricate water routes. This is not a park for casual visitors, but for those willing to embrace genuine wilderness travel, it offers encounters with functional groups of wildlife—raptors, waders, forest canopy specialists, and nocturnal fauna—in their undisturbed tropical lowland habitat.

Ocellated Turkey

Meleagris ocellata

Cotinga amabilis

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Dumetella carolinensis

Spot-breasted Wren

Pheugopedius maculipectus

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Amazilia tzacatl

White-eyed Vireo

White-bellied Emerald

Chlorestes candida

Social Flycatcher

Myiozetetes similis

Black-headed Trogon

Trogon melanocephalus

Northern Bentbill

Oncostoma cinereigulare

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Mangrove Swallow

Tachycineta albilinea

Hylocichla mustelina

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Kentucky Warbler

Geothlypis formosa

Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

Yellow-breasted Chat

Ivory-billed Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus flavigaster

Barred Antshrike

Thamnophilus doliatus

Coragyps atratus

Green-backed Sparrow

Arremonops chloronotus

Plain Chachalaca

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Setophaga citrina

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Galbula ruficauda

Laterallus ruber

White-tipped Dove

Leptotila verreauxi

Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Red-lored Amazon

Amazona autumnalis

Black-headed Saltator

Saltator atriceps

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Butorides virescens

Rupornis magnirostris

Melodious Blackbird

Pitangus sulphuratus

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes aurifrons

Yellow-tailed Oriole

Icterus mesomelas

Trilling Gnatwren

Ramphocaenus melanurus

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Curve-winged Sabrewing

Pampa curvipennis

Keel-billed Toucan

Ramphastos sulfuratus

Gartered Trogon

Trogon caligatus

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Campephilus guatemalensis

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Clay-colored Thrush

Lineated Woodpecker

Dryocopus lineatus

Yellow-olive Flatbill

Tolmomyias sulphurescens

Morelet's Seedeater

Sporophila morelleti

Great Blue Heron

Falco rufigularis

Icterus spurius

Yellow-throated Euphonia

Euphonia hirundinacea

Lesson's Motmot

Momotus lessonii

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

Montezuma Oropendola

Psarocolius montezuma

Pale-vented Pigeon

Patagioenas cayennensis

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Myiarchus tuberculifer

Mayan Antthrush

Formicarius moniliger

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Yellow-billed Cacique

Amblycercus holosericeus

Stub-tailed Spadebill

Platyrinchus cancrominus

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

Stripe-throated Hermit

Phaethornis striigularis

White-crowned Parrot

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Phaeochroa cuvierii

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Empidonax flaviventris

Olivaceous Woodcreeper

Sittasomus griseicapillus

Yellow-green Vireo

Vireo flavoviridis

Northern Jacana

Passerina cyanea

Amazona farinosa

Tityra semifasciata

Groove-billed Ani

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americana

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma mexicanum

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus tyrannulus

White-fronted Amazon

Amazona albifrons

Collared Aracari

Pteroglossus torquatus

Olive-backed Euphonia

Euphonia gouldi

White-bellied Wren

Uropsila leucogastra

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Laughing Falcon

Herpetotheres cachinnans

Bright-rumped Attila

Attila spadiceus

White-breasted Wood Wren

Henicorhina leucosticta

Ruddy Ground Dove

Columbina talpacoti

Green-breasted Mango

Anthracothorax prevostii

Blue Ground Dove

Claravis pretiosa

Cyanocompsa parellina

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator

Saltator grandis

Red-billed Pigeon

Patagioenas flavirostris

Hylomanes momotula

Thicket Tinamou

Crypturellus cinnamomeus

Russet-naped Wood Rail

Aramides albiventris

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Megarynchus pitangua

Nyctidromus albicollis

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Cyanerpes cyaneus

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Long-billed Hermit

Phaethornis longirostris

Couch's Kingbird

Tyrannus couchii

Yucatan Woodpecker

Melanerpes pygmaeus

Grey-headed Tanager

Eucometis penicillata

Black-throated Green Warbler

Setophaga virens

Short-billed Pigeon

Patagioenas nigrirostris

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus fumigatus

Seiurus aurocapilla

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Chloroceryle aenea

Anhinga anhinga

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

Tawny-winged Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla anabatina

White-necked Jacobin

Florisuga mellivora

Penelope purpurascens

Slaty-tailed Trogon

White-collared Manakin

Sarcoramphus papa

Worm-eating Warbler

Helmitheros vermivorum

Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

Celeus castaneus

Slaty-headed Tody-Flycatcher

Poecilotriccus sylvia

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

Myiodynastes luteiventris

Greenish Elaenia

Myiopagis viridicata

Red-crowned Ant Tanager

Blue-grey Tanager

Thraupis episcopus

Eye-ringed Flatbill

Rhynchocyclus brevirostris

Black-cowled Oriole

Icterus prosthemelas

Tropical Royal Flycatcher

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Cyanocorax yncas

Great Antshrike

Collared Trogon

Trogon collaris

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

White-whiskered Puffbird

Malacoptila panamensis

White-necked Puffbird

Notharchus hyperrhynchus

Grey-headed Dove

Leptotila plumbeiceps

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum cinereum

Eastern Wood Pewee

Contopus virens

Aramus guarauna

Black-collared Hawk

Busarellus nigricollis

Golden-olive Woodpecker

Colaptes rubiginosus

Patagioenas speciosa

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Northern Barred Woodcreeper

Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Boat-billed Heron

Cochlearius cochlearius

Black-and-white Owl

Strix nigrolineata

Barred Forest Falcon

Micrastur ruficollis

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Ictinia plumbea

Amazon Kingfisher

Chloroceryle amazona

Purple-crowned Fairy

Heliothryx barroti

Black-throated Shrike-Tanager

Lanio aurantius

Ruddy Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla homochroa

Rufous-breasted Spinetail

Synallaxis erythrothorax

Mycteria americana

Grey-throated Chat

Granatellus sallaei

Grey-crowned Yellowthroat

Geothlypis poliocephala

Pheasant Cuckoo

Dromococcyx phasianellus

Yellow-winged Tanager

Louisiana Waterthrush

Parkesia motacilla

Golden-crowned Warbler

Basileuterus culicivorus

Cairina moschata

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Heliornis fulica

Nyctibius jamaicensis

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Passerina caerulea

Rostrhamus sociabilis

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher

Mionectes oleagineus

Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet

Ornithion semiflavum

Vireo olivaceus

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher

Terenotriccus erythrurus

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Dryobates scalaris

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Lepidocolaptes souleyetii

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Collared Forest Falcon

Micrastur semitorquatus

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Grey-breasted Martin

Progne chalybea

Crypturellus soui

Ruddy Quail-Dove

Geotrygon montana

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Rose-throated Becard

Pachyramphus aglaiae

Sepia-capped Flycatcher

Leptopogon amaurocephalus

Blue-black Grassquit

Volatinia jacarina

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

Glyphorynchus spirurus

American Barn Owl

Blue-winged Warbler

Vermivora cyanoptera

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Grey-headed Kite

Leptodon cayanensis

Bronzed Cowbird

Molothrus aeneus

Scaly-throated Leaftosser

Sclerurus guatemalensis

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Swallow-tailed Kite

Elanoides forficatus

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Cyanocorax yucatanicus

Black-crowned Tityra

Tityra inquisitor

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

Cyclarhis gujanensis

Golden-winged Warbler

Vermivora chrysoptera

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Melanerpes pucherani

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

Thick-billed Seed Finch

Sporophila funerea

Coereba flaveola

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes burrovianus

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

Camptostoma imberbe

Canivet's Emerald

Cynanthus canivetii

Yucatan Poorwill

Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Elaenia flavogaster

Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus melanoleucus

Euphonia affinis

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium brasilianum

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Hirundo rustica

Green Shrike-Vireo

Vireolanius pulchellus

Southern House Wren

Troglodytes musculus

American White Ibis

Eudocimus albus

Great Black Hawk

Buteogallus urubitinga

Grey-breasted Crake

Laterallus exilis

Black-faced Grosbeak

Caryothraustes poliogaster

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Amazilia yucatanensis

Golden-hooded Tanager

Stilpnia larvata

Slaty-breasted Tinamou

Crypturellus boucardi

Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

Panyptila cayennensis

Geranospiza caerulescens

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Acadian Flycatcher

Empidonax virescens

Pandion haliaetus

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Tiaris olivaceus

Tropical Mockingbird

White-throated Flycatcher

Empidonax albigularis

Yucatan Flycatcher

Myiarchus yucatanensis

Tachycineta bicolor

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Double-toothed Kite

Harpagus bidentatus

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Black Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus tyrannus

Crimson-collared Tanager

Ramphocelus sanguinolentus

Green Honeycreeper

Chlorophanes spiza

Variable Seedeater

Sporophila corvina

Setophaga coronata

Tropical Parula

Setophaga pitiayumi

Middle American Screech Owl

Megascops guatemalae

Yellow-throated Warbler

Setophaga dominica

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Rhytipterna holerythra

Strong-billed Woodcreeper

Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus

Short-tailed Nighthawk

Lurocalis semitorquatus

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Dysithamnus mentalis

Grey-collared Becard

Pachyramphus major

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Common Black Hawk

Buteogallus anthracinus

Leptotila jamaicensis

Pelecanus occidentalis

Plain-breasted Ground Dove

Columbina minuta

Yucatan Nightjar

Antrostomus badius

Jabiru mycteria

Buff-throated Saltator

Saltator maximus

Rose-throated Tanager

Piranga roseogularis

Dot-winged Antwren

Microrhopias quixensis

Philadelphia Vireo

Vireo philadelphicus

White-collared Swift

Streptoprocne zonaris

Roseate Spoonbill

Northern Emerald Toucanet

Aulacorhynchus prasinus

Leucophaeus atricilla

Aplomado Falcon

Falco femoralis

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Porzana carolina

Charadrius vociferus

Lipaugus unirufus

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

Thalasseus maximus

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Eumomota superciliosa

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

White-throated Thrush

Turdus assimilis

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Hook-billed Kite

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Melanoptila glabrirostris

Mourning Warbler

Geothlypis philadelphia

Pinnated Bittern

Botaurus pinnatus

Tachybaptus dominicus

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

Cinnamon Becard

Pachyramphus cinnamomeus

Fulica americana

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Spotted Wood Quail

Odontophorus guttatus

Amazona xantholora

Bombycilla cedrorum

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Streaked Flycatcher

Myiodynastes maculatus

Spiza americana

Grey-chested Dove

Leptotila cassinii

Long-billed Starthroat

Heliomaster longirostris

Alder Flycatcher

Empidonax alnorum

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Arremonops rufivirgatus

Band-backed Wren

Campylorhynchus zonatus

Riparia riparia

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Molothrus oryzivorus

Grassland Yellow Finch

Sicalis luteola

Pulsatrix perspicillata

White-winged Becard

Pachyramphus polychopterus

Central American Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium griseiceps

Swainson's Warbler

Limnothlypis swainsonii

Passer domesticus

Piratic Flycatcher

Legatus leucophaius

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo solitarius

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Ramphocelus passerinii

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Catharus minimus

Black-crested Coquette

Lophornis helenae

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Catharus fuscescens

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Tringa semipalmata

Cerulean Warbler

Setophaga cerulea

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Setophaga caerulescens

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Pardirallus maculatus

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Gallinago delicata

Common Ground Dove

Columbina passerina

Chuck-will's-widow

Antrostomus carolinensis

Russet Antshrike

Thamnistes anabatinus

Laterallus jamaicensis

Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus

Orange-breasted Falcon

Falco deiroleucus

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

White-winged Tanager

Piranga leucoptera

Zenaida macroura

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Spot-tailed Nightjar

Antiurus maculicaudus

Yellow-breasted Crake

Laterallus flaviventer

Botaurus exilis

Pseudastur albicollis

Buteo plagiatus

Brown-hooded Parrot

Pyrilia haematotis

Olive-throated Parakeet

Eupsittula nana

Cercomacroides tyrannina

Northern Tropical Pewee

Contopus bogotensis

Red-capped Manakin

Ceratopipra mentalis

Northern Schiffornis

Schiffornis veraepacis

Ochre-crowned Greenlet

Tunchiornis ochraceiceps

Lesser Greenlet

Pachysylvia decurtata

Cyanocorax morio

White-browed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila bilineata

Icterus cucullatus

Red-throated Ant Tanager

Driophlox fuscicauda

Blue-black Grosbeak

Cyanoloxia cyanoides

Hydroprogne caspia

Sulphur-rumped Myiobius

Myiobius sulphureipygius

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Falco columbarius

Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner

Automolus cervinigularis

Sayornis nigricans

Botteri's Sparrow

Peucaea botterii

Orange-billed Sparrow

Arremon aurantiirostris

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Grace's Warbler

Setophaga graciae

Central American Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Central American Agouti

Dasyprocta punctata

Northern Gray Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Central American Black Howler

Rhynchonycteris naso

White-nosed Coati

Mexican Red Brocket

Northern Tamandua

Tamandua mexicana

Wrinkle-faced Bat

Yucatán Squirrel

Sciurus yucatanensis

Deppe's Squirrel

Pacific Tent-making Bat

Uroderma convexum

Northern Ghost Bat

Diclidurus albus

Common Sword-nosed Bat

Lonchorhina aurita

Great Fruit-eating Bat

Artibeus lituratus

Common Fringe-lipped Bat

Trachops cirrhosus

Mexican Mouse Opossum

Marmosa mexicana

White-lipped Peccary

Cozumelan Golden Bat

Mimon cozumelae

Greater Sac-winged Bat

Saccopteryx bilineata

Northern Raccoon

Mesoamerican Common Mustached Bat

Pteronotus mesoamericanus

Mexican Hairy Porcupine

Coendou mexicanus

Common Vampire Bat

Desmodus rotundus

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