Birds
inc Quetzal |
With the arrival of ecotourism in Panama, many visitors are now coming to Panama in order to enjoy the wildlife.
Many tour operators are now running special trips to appeal to those of you wanting to enjoy the Panama fauna.
You can stay in a number of Eco Lodges, usually either in a National Park, or hidden well away in the jungle
Follow any of the above links to get more information on particular species of animals to be seen in Panama. Panama is a natural land bridge that connects North and Central America with South America. Consequently, Panama's tropical jungles and forests are teeming with animal and plant species from both continents. Panama has more more then 1,000 species of birds. This is more than can be found in North America and Europe combined, and it includes some of the rarest on Earth.
There are also 220 mammals and 354 reptiles and amphibians. Panama also had hundreds of islands and kilometers of protected coral reef, which shelter a wide diversity of marine life.
Panama has created many protected areas. More than 29 percent of Panama's land is incorporated in 15 national parks, a dozen forest reserves and 10 wild life sanctuaries, which are all places you can tour and discover a rich variety of flora and fauna.
In the highlands, in the province of Chiriquí, you can see quetzals, and in the jungles of Darién you can see the Harpy Eagle, the national bird. The mountain chain (Cordillera) of Cerro Azul, the humid forest regions of the Barú Volcano and the Cerro La Vieja, as well as the famous Oil Pipe Road (Camino del Oleoducto) in the National Park Soberanía are all recognized as world-class bird observation sites
Barro Colorado is a wild life sanctuary used as a natural laboratory by the Smithsonian Institute.