Panama Birding Tours
Together with Costa Rica birding tours, Panama birding tours offer perhaps the best birding in Central America. Without doubt this is one of the top destinations in Latin America. Panama’s history spans from indigenous natives on the isthmus, to Spanish colonial occupation, to integration into the State of Gran Colombia, and finally to the country’s independence from Colombia in 1903. Later, the world marveled at the creation of the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific, and considered one of the greatest feats of 20th century engineering. Today Panama City is a modern metropolis with modern and bizarre giant skyscrapers standing next to the nostalgic old downtown on the banks of the canal. Friendly people, a dollarized economy, and daily flights to and from all over the world make Panama an easy country in which to travel.
Starting our Panama birding tours in Panama City includes a quick visit to the famous Metropolitan Park; with its 265 hectares it is the largest protected park in Panama. The area hosts the endemic Panamanian (Yellow-green) Tyrannulet as well as many other easy-to-find birds, such as Orange-chinned Parakeet, Lance-tailed Manakin, White-bellied Antbird, Spotted Antbird, Trilling Gnatwren, Dot-winged Antwren, Red-lored Amazon, Southern Mealy Amazon, and the monotypic Rosy Thrush-tanager.
Our bird guides will take you to many of the most famous bird watching areas in central Panama including the Pipeline Road in the Gamboa region, and the Canopy Tower and Panama Rainforest Discovery Center. These top birding sites will provide you with outstanding species such as Golden-hooded Tanager, Ocellated Antbird, Brown-hooded Parrot, Blue Cotinga, the skulking Green Shrike-Vireo, Song Wren, Slaty-tailed, Gartered, and Black-throated Trogons, Broad-billed Motmot, Red-capped Manakin, Golden-collared Manakin, Yellow-throated Toucan, Keel-billed Toucan, Streak-chested Antpitta, and, with luck, the most-wanted Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo.
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Hummingbirds are not uncommon in Panama, and you will keep yourself busy studying or twitching these feathered jewels, including White-necked Jacobin, White-vented Plumeleteer, Long-billed Hermit, Blue-chested Hummingbird, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Stripe-throated Hermit, and Snowy-bellied Hummingbird. The highlands of the Anton Valley near the famous Canopy Lodge will provide good opportunities for some cracker species including Tody Motmot, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Snowcap, and another chance for Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo.
Perhaps Panama’s best hidden secrets are the famous Pirre endemics, which are confined to the Pirre Mountains on the border with Colombia within the Darién National Park. When in the past this completely wild and untouched area was open to visitors many used to travel to the heart of the Darién to hike the Pirre Hills and stay at the Cana Field Station in search of restricted endemics, but sadly visits by the public were canceled several years ago. We hope the future could change for the good of the local communities near the Darién and the conservation of the fabulous national park. However, on our Birding Ecotours Panama birding tour we include easier trips to the Darién outside the national park (to the amazing Canopy Camp), where you can still see sought-after species such as Black Antshrike, Grey-cheeked Nunlet, Pied Puffbird, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Sapayoa, Black Oropendola, Black-crowned Antpitta, and with luck the majestic Harpy Eagle when nests are active. For wildlife lovers Panama is full of interesting reptiles and amphibians and one of the largest concentrations of White-nosed Coati, Nine-banded Armadillo, Central American Agouti, Brown-throated Sloth, and the unique Lesser Capybara.
After our Panama birding tours you could take a short helicopter ride above the Panama Canal, and the city would give you a great final farewell, or you could enjoy a magnificent dinner in the city. Any excuse will be good to visit Panama, but the birds will be first! Please join our 12-day Central and Eastern Panama tour or our more relaxed Panama Escape tour where we will be based at Canopy Tower Lodge for the week.
Download Panama Itineraries
Panama Escape: An easy week of birding from the Canopy Tower Lodge December 2025/2026/2027
The Best of Panama: Canopy Tower & the Darién July 2026/2027
Panama Gallery
Yellow-throated Toucan
Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo
Harpy Eagle
Sapayoa
Bat Falcon
Spotted Antbird
Blue-throated Toucan
Boat-billed Heron
Bananaquit
Grey-cheeked Nunlet
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Yellow-hooded Blackbird
Rufous-Motmot
Blue Dacnis
Orange-winged Parrot
Golden-headed Manakin
Nicaraguan Seed Finch
Three-wattled Umbrellabird
Spangle-cheeked Tanager
Great Curassow