Soberanía National Park (''Parque Nacional Soberanía'') is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

near the banks of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

in the provinces of Panamá and Colón, some from

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

. The

Chagres River The Chagres River (), in central Panama, is the largest river in the Panama Canal's drainage basin. The river is dammed twice, and the resulting reservoirs—Gatun Lake and Lake Alajuela—form an integral part of the canal and its water ...

runs through the park. Established as a national park in 1980, the park covers . Visitors to the Soberanía National Park can also explore the Las Cruces Trail (Camino de Cruces). This historical trail dates back to the 16th century and was used by the Spanish to transport gold. Parts of the trail are still lined with old stones that once marked the trail's original path. The land that is now the

Parque Municipal Summit The Parque Municipal Summit (Summit Municipal Park) is a botanical garden with a facility for rescue and wildlife rehabilitation of exotic and native wildlife in central Panama. Many of the animals that arrive at the rescue center that cannot be r ...

was originally included in this park, but was turned over to Panama City in 1985.

Birdwatching and fauna

The park is popular with birdwatchers due to its abundance of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

species; some 525 bird species are found here. Pipeline Road extends for 17.5 km north–south through the park and passes through old-growth and secondary forest. Pipeline Road (''Camineo del Oleoducto'') is one of the best places to see tropical birds in the Americas, with a bird species list exceeding 400. The park has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

Birds

Birds regularly seen along Pipeline Road include

double-toothed kite The double-toothed kite (''Harpagus bidentatus'') is a species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae. It is found from central Mexico through Central America into much of northern and eastern South A ...

, slaty-backed forest-falcon,

orange-chinned parakeet The orange-chinned parakeet (''Brotogeris jugularis''), also known as the Tovi parakeet, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found from southern Mexico through Central Ame ...

brown-hooded parrot The brown-hooded parrot (''Pyrilia haematotis'') is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found from Mexico to Colombia. Taxonomy and systematics The brown-hooded parrot and th ...

blue-headed parrot The blue-headed parrot, also known as the blue-headed pionus (''Pionus menstruus'') is a medium-sized parrot of about in length. The body is mostly green, with a blue head and neck, and red undertail coverts. It is a resident in tropical and sub ...

, red-lored parrot,

squirrel cuckoo The squirrel cuckoo (''Piaya cayana'') is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. Some authorities have split off the western Mexican form as the M ...

, white-necked jacobin, violet-bellied hummingbird, crowned woodnymph, blue-chested hummingbird, white-tailed trogon, gartered trogon, Amazonian black-throated trogon, black-tailed trogon, slaty-tailed trogon, black-mandibled toucan,

keel-billed toucan The keel-billed toucan (''Ramphastos sulfuratus''), also known as sulfur-breasted toucan, keel toucan, or rainbow-billed toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of National symbols of Belize, Bel ...

collared aracari The collared aracari or collared araçari (''Pteroglossus torquatus'') is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found from Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela. Taxonomy The collared aracari was described by the Spanish na ...

, black-cheeked woodpecker, cinnamon woodpecker, crimson-crested woodpecker, white-whiskered puffbird, broad-billed motmot, rufous motmot, northern barred woodcreeper, cocoa woodcreeper, black-striped woodcreeper, fasciated antshrike, black-crowned antshrike,

checker-throated stipplethroat The checker-throated stipplethroat (''Epinecrophylla fulviventris''), previously called fulvous-bellied antwren or checker-throated antwren, is a small passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". ...

dot-winged antwren The dot-winged antwren (''Microrhopias quixensis'') or velvety antwren is a passerine bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, B ...

, white-flanked antwren, spotted antbird,

bicolored antbird The bicolored antbird (''Gymnopithys bicolor'') is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Taxonomy and sy ...

ocellated antbird The ocellated antbird (''Phaenostictus mcleannani'') is a species of antbird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Taxonom ...

, chestnut-backed antbird, black-faced antthrush, southern bentbill, brownish twistwing, olivaceous flatbill, ruddy-tailed flycatcher,

bright-rumped attila The bright-rumped attila or polymorphic attila (''Attila spadiceus'') is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family (biology), family (Tyrannidae). It breeds from northwestern Mexico to western Ecuador, Bolivia and southeastern Brazil ...

purple-throated fruitcrow The purple-throated fruitcrow (''Querula purpurata'') is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. It is the only species of the genus ''Querula''.Schulenberg, T. S., Ed. 2010Purple-throated Fruitcrow (''Querula purpurata'').Ne ...

, red-capped manakin, blue-crowned manakin, golden-collared manakin, bay wren, song wren, gray-headed tanager, white-shouldered tanager, red-throated ant-tanager, blue-black grosbeak, scarlet-rumped cacique, and yellow-rumped cacique.

Mammals

The park is home to 100+ species of

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s, including elusive predators such as the

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''; or ) is a wild felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central America, Central and South America east of the Andes. T ...

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

margay The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Mexico, Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal felid, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted for the wildl ...

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

oncilla The oncilla (''Leopardus tigrinus''), also known as the northern tiger cat, little spotted cat, and tigrillo, is a small spotted cat ranging from Central America to central Brazil. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the popul ...

and puma. Beyond these feline carnivores, other mammalian species to be seen include the

agouti The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Central America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced else ...

brocket deer Brockets or brocket deer are the species of deer in the genus ''Mazama''. They are medium to small in size, and are found in the Yucatán Peninsula, Central and South America, and the island of Trinidad. Most species are primarily found in fores ...

bush dog The bush dog (''Speothos venaticus'') is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first described by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossils ...

capybara The capybara or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris'') is the largest living rodent, native to South America. It is a member of the genus '' Hydrochoerus''. The only other extant member is the lesser capybara (''Hydrochoerus isthmi ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

crab-eating fox The crab-eating fox (''Cerdocyon thous''), also known as the forest dog, wood fox, bushfox (not to be confused with the bush dog) or maikong, is an extant species of medium-sized canid endemic to the central part of South America since at least ...

, crab-eating raccoon, four-eyed opossum,

Geoffroy's tamarin Geoffroy's tamarin (''Saguinus geoffroyi''), also known as the Panamanian, red-crested or rufous-naped tamarin, is a tamarin, a type of small monkey, found in Panama and Colombia. It is predominantly black and white, with a reddish nape. Diu ...

gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

grison A grison (, ) is any mustelid in the genus ''Galictis''. Native to Central and South America, the genus contains two extant species: the greater grison (''Galictis vittata''), which is found widely in South America, through Central America to s ...

, hognosed skunk,

kinkajou The kinkajou ( /ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ ''KING-kə-joo''; ''Potos flavus'') is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus ''Pot ...

long-tailed weasel The long-tailed weasel (''Neogale frenata''), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of weasel found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is distinct from the Stoat, short-t ...

mantled howler monkey The mantled howler (''Alouatta palliata'') is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America. It ta ...

, neotropical river otter,

nine-banded armadillo The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, making ...

olingo The genus ''Bassaricyon'' consists of small Neotropical procyonids, popularly known as olingos (), cousins of the raccoon. They are native to the rainforests of Central and South America from Nicaragua to Peru. They are arboreal and nocturnal, ...

paca A paca ia a rodent in South and Central America. Paca or PACA may also refer to: People * William Paca (1740–1799), a Founding Father of the United States * Paca Blanco (Francisca Blanco Díaz, born 1949), Spanish activist * Paca Navas (Franc ...

Panamanian night monkey The Panamanian night monkey or Chocoan night monkey (''Aotus zonalis'') is a species of night monkey formerly considered a subspecies of the gray-bellied night monkey of the family Aotidae. Its range consists of Panama and the Chocó region ...

peccary Peccaries (also javelinas or skunk pigs) are pig-like ungulates of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North America. Peccari ...

(both white-lipped and collared), three species of prehensile-tailed porcupines, several species of two-toed and

three-toed sloth The three-toed or three-fingered sloths are arboreal neotropical mammals. They are the only members of the genus ''Bradypus'' (meaning "slow-footed") and the family Bradypodidae. The five living species of three-toed sloths are the brown-throa ...

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

, rice rats,

silky anteater The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes'', the only living genus in the family Cyclopedidae. Found in southern Mexico ...

, southern and

northern tamandua The northern tamandua (''Tamandua mexicana'') is a species of tamandua, an anteater in the family Myrmecophagidae. They live in tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, through Central America, and to the edge of the northern Andes. ...

, spiny rats,

Geoffroy's spider monkey Geoffroy's spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi''), also known as the black-handed spider monkey or the Central American spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a ...

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk (proboscis). Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, South and Centr ...

tayra The tayra (''Eira barbara'') is an omnivorous animal from the mustelid family, native to the Americas. It is the only species in the genus ''Eira''. Tayras are also known as the ''tolomuco'' or ''perico ligero'' in Central America, ''motete'' ...

Virginia opossum The Virginia opossum (''Didelphis virginiana''), also known as the North American opossum, is a member of the opossum family found from southern Canada to northern Costa Rica, making it the northernmost marsupial in the world and the only marsup ...

water opossum The water opossum (''Chironectes minimus''), also locally known as the yapok (), is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae.* It is the only monotypic species of its genus, ''Chironectes''. This semiaquatic creature is found in and near freshwat ...

Panamanian white-faced capuchin The Panamanian white-faced capuchin (''Cebus imitator''), also known as the Panamanian white-headed capuchin or Central American white-faced capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae. Native to the fore ...

, white-nosed coatimundi,

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...

woolly opossum The three species in the genus ''Caluromys'', commonly known as woolly opossums, are members of the order Didelphimorphia. Species and subspecies * Subgenus ''Mallodelphys'' ** Derby's woolly opossum, ''Caluromys derbianus'' *** ''Caluromys derb ...

, and at least 50 species of

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

Amphibians and reptiles

Numerous herpetile species are found in the park. Several species of

poison dart frog Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

can be found in the forests, from the genera ''

Dendrobates ''Dendrobates'' is a genus of poison dart frogs native to Central and South America. It once contained numerous species, but most originally placed in this genus have been split off into other genera such as '' Adelphobates'', '' Ameerega'', '' ...

'', ''

Colostethus ''Colostethus'' is a genus of poison dart frogs native to Central and South America, from Panama south to Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. Their common name is rocket frogs, but this name may refer to frogs in other genera and families, foll ...

'' and ''

Oophaga ''Oophaga'' is a genus of poison-dart frogs containing twelve species, many of which were formerly placed in the genus ''Dendrobates''. The frogs are distributed in Central and South America, from Nicaragua south through the El Chocó to norther ...

''; Golden toads were once more common but gravely affected by the anurid-targeting

chytrid fungus Chytridiomycota are a division of zoosporic organisms in the kingdom Fungi, informally known as chytrids. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased zoospores. Chytrids ...

. Other herpetile species found in the area include

green iguana The green iguana (''Iguana iguana''), also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly Herbivory, herbivorous species of lizard of the genus ''Iguana''. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. ...

s, red-eyed tree frogs,

cane toad The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, Terrestrial animal, terrestrial true toad native to South America, South and mainland Central America, but which has been Introduced spe ...

coral snake Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 27 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera ('' Calliophis'', '' Hemibungar ...

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also known as the common boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the Family (b ...

s, cat-eyed snakes, slugeater snakes, and bushmasters.Friar, William "Moon Handbook Panama", First Edition, p. 114

Gallery

Trogon-viridis-002.jpg, An immature male white-tailed trogon near Panama Pipeline Road, Parque Nacional Soberania Panamanian Night Monkeys2.jpg, Panamanian night monkeys (''

Aotus zonalis The Panamanian night monkey or Chocoan night monkey (''Aotus zonalis'') is a species of night monkey formerly considered a subspecies of the gray-bellied night monkey of the family Aotidae. Its range consists of Panama and the Chocó region of ...

'') in Soberania National Park, Panama

References

External links

* (Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Soberania National Park National parks of Panama Important Bird Areas of Panama Protected areas established in 1980 Panamá Province Colón Province Tourist attractions in Colón Province Tourist attractions in Panamá Province