Sierra del Lacandón National Park

National Park · Guatemala

No ratings yet

Photo © diego_cue

Photo © diego_cue — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the Petén rainforest rises into limestone ridges and deep ravines, Sierra del Lacandón National Park protects one of Central America's most intact tropical wilderness zones. The park's rugged topography—steep escarpments, hidden valleys, and seasonal waterways—creates a mosaic of humid forest habitats that shift subtly with elevation and drainage. At lower elevations, dense broadleaf forest canopy towers overhead, supporting troops of primates, small forest mammals, and an abundance of amphibians that chorus through the night. Higher ridge forest transitions into more open woodland where orchids festoon the trees and forest-edge specialists find purchase. Throughout the park, the understory teems with insectivorous birds, climbing mammals, and a remarkable diversity of reptiles adapted to the humid limestone substrate. The park remains remote and lightly visited, meaning that the ecological integrity of these forest communities remains largely uncompromised—a rarity in modern Mesoamerica.

For wildlife observers, Sierra del Lacandón offers an authentically challenging and rewarding experience: this is forest exploration for those committed to early starts, patient observation, and the acceptance that encounters are earned rather than guaranteed. The park's river valleys and ridge-top vantage points reward dawn visits when birds of prey hunt along forest edges and small forest mammals are most active. Wet season visits (May through October) animate the park's amphibian fauna and push migratory songbirds through the canopy, while dry season (November through April) concentrates wildlife around remaining water sources and opens sight lines through the forest. The park demands self-sufficiency and preparation—guides with deep local knowledge are essential—but for the serious naturalist willing to work for their observations, few Petén landscapes deliver such unspoiled glimpses of a thriving rainforest ecosystem.

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Spot-breasted Wren

Pheugopedius maculipectus

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Keel-billed Toucan

Ramphastos sulfuratus

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Barred Antshrike

Thamnophilus doliatus

Ivory-billed Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus flavigaster

Social Flycatcher

Myiozetetes similis

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Empidonax flaviventris

Mayan Antthrush

Formicarius moniliger

Setophaga citrina

Dumetella carolinensis

White-breasted Wood Wren

Henicorhina leucosticta

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Amazilia tzacatl

Yellow-billed Cacique

Amblycercus holosericeus

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Yellow-breasted Chat

Northern Bentbill

Oncostoma cinereigulare

White-bellied Emerald

Chlorestes candida

Kentucky Warbler

Geothlypis formosa

Yellow-throated Euphonia

Euphonia hirundinacea

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

Short-billed Pigeon

Patagioenas nigrirostris

Olivaceous Woodcreeper

Sittasomus griseicapillus

Rufous-breasted Spinetail

Synallaxis erythrothorax

Yellow-olive Flatbill

Tolmomyias sulphurescens

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Myiarchus tuberculifer

Coragyps atratus

Melodious Blackbird

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Galbula ruficauda

Hylocichla mustelina

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Black-headed Trogon

Trogon melanocephalus

Black-headed Saltator

Saltator atriceps

Montezuma Oropendola

Psarocolius montezuma

Dot-winged Antwren

Microrhopias quixensis

Green-backed Sparrow

Arremonops chloronotus

Ruddy Ground Dove

Columbina talpacoti

Trilling Gnatwren

Ramphocaenus melanurus

Sarcoramphus papa

Greenish Elaenia

Myiopagis viridicata

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Gartered Trogon

Trogon caligatus

Stub-tailed Spadebill

Platyrinchus cancrominus

White-eyed Vireo

Cinnamon Becard

Pachyramphus cinnamomeus

Green Shrike-Vireo

Vireolanius pulchellus

Seiurus aurocapilla

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Campephilus guatemalensis

Red-lored Amazon

Amazona autumnalis

Icterus spurius

Amazona farinosa

Collared Aracari

Pteroglossus torquatus

Stripe-throated Hermit

Phaethornis striigularis

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

Lesson's Motmot

Momotus lessonii

Bright-rumped Attila

Attila spadiceus

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Worm-eating Warbler

Helmitheros vermivorum

White-collared Manakin

Long-billed Hermit

Phaethornis longirostris

Slaty-headed Tody-Flycatcher

Poecilotriccus sylvia

White-tipped Dove

Leptotila verreauxi

Blue Ground Dove

Claravis pretiosa

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes aurifrons

Yellow-green Vireo

Vireo flavoviridis

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Lepidocolaptes souleyetii

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Hylomanes momotula

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

Black-faced Grosbeak

Caryothraustes poliogaster

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Cyanerpes cyaneus

Nyctidromus albicollis

Pitangus sulphuratus

Morelet's Seedeater

Sporophila morelleti

Blue-grey Tanager

Thraupis episcopus

Olive-backed Euphonia

Euphonia gouldi

Clay-colored Thrush

Falco rufigularis

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum cinereum

Great Antshrike

Golden-crowned Warbler

Basileuterus culicivorus

Louisiana Waterthrush

Parkesia motacilla

Tityra semifasciata

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Megarynchus pitangua

Yellow-winged Tanager

Black-throated Green Warbler

Setophaga virens

Passerina cyanea

White-bellied Wren

Uropsila leucogastra

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus fumigatus

Crimson-collared Tanager

Ramphocelus sanguinolentus

Slaty-breasted Tinamou

Crypturellus boucardi

Collared Trogon

Trogon collaris

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

Myiodynastes luteiventris

White-whiskered Puffbird

Malacoptila panamensis

Tawny-winged Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla anabatina

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Phaeochroa cuvierii

Black-throated Shrike-Tanager

Lanio aurantius

Plain Chachalaca

White-collared Swift

Streptoprocne zonaris

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

Yellow-throated Warbler

Setophaga dominica

Purple-crowned Fairy

Heliothryx barroti

Lineated Woodpecker

Dryocopus lineatus

White-crowned Parrot

Groove-billed Ani

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Melanerpes pucherani

Eastern Wood Pewee

Contopus virens

Rose-throated Becard

Pachyramphus aglaiae

Sepia-capped Flycatcher

Leptopogon amaurocephalus

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Mangrove Swallow

Tachycineta albilinea

Buff-throated Saltator

Saltator maximus

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Elaenia flavogaster

Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

Celeus castaneus

Northern Barred Woodcreeper

Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Grey-headed Dove

Leptotila plumbeiceps

Central American Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium griseiceps

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Grey-headed Tanager

Eucometis penicillata

Golden-olive Woodpecker

Colaptes rubiginosus

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus tyrannulus

Common Black Hawk

Buteogallus anthracinus

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher

Terenotriccus erythrurus

Ruddy Woodcreeper

Dendrocincla homochroa

Crypturellus soui

Great Blue Heron

Bronzed Cowbird

Molothrus aeneus

Vireo olivaceus

Yellow-tailed Oriole

Icterus mesomelas

Blue-winged Warbler

Vermivora cyanoptera

Black-cowled Oriole

Icterus prosthemelas

Red-crowned Ant Tanager

Golden-hooded Tanager

Stilpnia larvata

Variable Seedeater

Sporophila corvina

Lipaugus unirufus

Pale-vented Pigeon

Patagioenas cayennensis

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Rhytipterna holerythra

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Blue-black Grassquit

Volatinia jacarina

Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

Laughing Falcon

Herpetotheres cachinnans

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher

Mionectes oleagineus

Sayornis nigricans

Orange-billed Sparrow

Arremon aurantiirostris

Eye-ringed Flatbill

Rhynchocyclus brevirostris

White-winged Tanager

Piranga leucoptera

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Couch's Kingbird

Tyrannus couchii

Double-toothed Kite

Harpagus bidentatus

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator

Saltator grandis

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

White-fronted Amazon

Amazona albifrons

Dysithamnus mentalis

Red-billed Pigeon

Patagioenas flavirostris

Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet

Ornithion semiflavum

Chestnut-headed Oropendola

Psarocolius wagleri

Collared Forest Falcon

Micrastur semitorquatus

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

Glyphorynchus spirurus

Scaly-throated Leaftosser

Sclerurus guatemalensis

Coereba flaveola

Rupornis magnirostris

Grey-breasted Martin

Progne chalybea

Black-and-white Owl

Strix nigrolineata

Nyctibius grandis

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Penelope purpurascens

Grey-headed Kite

Leptodon cayanensis

Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

Panyptila cayennensis

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma mexicanum

Streaked Flycatcher

Myiodynastes maculatus

Grey-chested Dove

Leptotila cassinii

Spiza americana

White-necked Puffbird

Notharchus hyperrhynchus

Curve-winged Sabrewing

Pampa curvipennis

Swallow-tailed Kite

Elanoides forficatus

Piratic Flycatcher

Legatus leucophaius

Passerina caerulea

Patagioenas speciosa

Golden-winged Warbler

Vermivora chrysoptera

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Amazon Kingfisher

Chloroceryle amazona

White-necked Jacobin

Florisuga mellivora

Ruddy Quail-Dove

Geotrygon montana

Pulsatrix perspicillata

Pandion haliaetus

Canivet's Emerald

Cynanthus canivetii

Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americana

Black Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus tyrannus

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

Long-billed Starthroat

Heliomaster longirostris

Laterallus ruber

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus ornatus

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Dryobates scalaris

Southern House Wren

Troglodytes musculus

Hook-billed Kite

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Grey-throated Chat

Granatellus sallaei

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Ictinia plumbea

Green-breasted Mango

Anthracothorax prevostii

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus melanoleucus

Russet-naped Wood Rail

Aramides albiventris

Aramus guarauna

Geranospiza caerulescens

Barred Forest Falcon

Micrastur ruficollis

Mycteria americana

Euphonia affinis

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium brasilianum

Thick-billed Seed Finch

Sporophila funerea

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

Camptostoma imberbe

Molothrus oryzivorus

Black-crowned Tityra

Tityra inquisitor

Band-backed Wren

Campylorhynchus zonatus

Cairina moschata

Tropical Mockingbird

Butorides virescens

Grey-crowned Yellowthroat

Geothlypis poliocephala

Pheasant Cuckoo

Dromococcyx phasianellus

Middle American Screech Owl

Megascops guatemalae

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Spotted Wood Quail

Odontophorus guttatus

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

Cyclarhis gujanensis

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Tiaris olivaceus

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Ramphocelus passerinii

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Cyanocompsa parellina

Plain-breasted Ground Dove

Columbina minuta

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

Grey-collared Becard

Pachyramphus major

Green Honeycreeper

Chlorophanes spiza

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

Thicket Tinamou

Crypturellus cinnamomeus

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

Northern Jacana

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Cyanocorax yncas

Arremonops rufivirgatus

Amaurospiza concolor

White-winged Becard

Pachyramphus polychopterus

Hirundo rustica

Northern Bobwhite

Colinus virginianus

Heliornis fulica

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Chloroceryle aenea

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes burrovianus

Anhinga anhinga

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo solitarius

Catharus fuscescens

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Altamira Oriole

Icterus gularis

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Great Black Hawk

Buteogallus urubitinga

White-throated Flycatcher

Empidonax albigularis

Swainson's Warbler

Limnothlypis swainsonii

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Passer domesticus

Setophaga coronata

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Aplomado Falcon

Falco femoralis

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Bombycilla cedrorum

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Zenaida macroura

Yucatan Bobwhite

Colinus nigrogularis

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Mourning Warbler

Geothlypis philadelphia

Falco columbarius

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Amazilia yucatanensis

Black-crested Coquette

Lophornis helenae

Black-collared Hawk

Busarellus nigricollis

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Tachybaptus dominicus

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Strong-billed Woodcreeper

Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus

Nyctibius jamaicensis

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Icterus cucullatus

White-throated Thrush

Turdus assimilis

American Barn Owl

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Cardellina canadensis

Chaetura pelagica

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Roseate Spoonbill

Rostrhamus sociabilis

Porzana carolina

Pseudastur albicollis

Olive-throated Parakeet

Eupsittula nana

Cyanocorax morio

Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

Buteo plagiatus

Brown-hooded Parrot

Pyrilia haematotis

Fawn-throated Foliage-gleaner

Automolus cervinigularis

Cercomacroides tyrannina

Northern Tropical Pewee

Contopus bogotensis

Red-capped Manakin

Ceratopipra mentalis

Northern Schiffornis

Schiffornis veraepacis

Sulphur-rumped Myiobius

Myiobius sulphureipygius

Ochre-crowned Greenlet

Tunchiornis ochraceiceps

Lesser Greenlet

Pachysylvia decurtata

White-browed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila bilineata

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Blue-black Grosbeak

Cyanoloxia cyanoides

Central American Spider Monkey

Ateles geoffroyi

Central American Black Howler

Leopardus pardalis

Derby's Woolly Opossum

Caluromys derbianus

Central American Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

View Complete List (349 more) →

0 Community observations

No community observations yet — be the first to log a sighting here.