Bird watching Panama Pipeline Road, the best spot in Soberania National Park, offers great birding opportunities; it goes 17 kms north along the East bank of the Panama Canal, starting at the end of Gamboa Town, and  is one of the birdiest locations in Central America. Located at the Soberania National Park, only a 40 minute drive from Panama City, the diversity of Pipeline Road can be attributed to the habitat heterogeneity in the park; secondary, old growth forest, swamps and streams.

If Army Ants are found,  ant-followers can be seen: Spotted Antbird, Bicolored Antbird, Ocellated Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird and, if you're very lucky, the prized Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo! Manakins include the Golden-collared Manakin, Blue-crowned Manakin and Red-capped Manakin. Pipeline is famous for its trogons:  Slaty-tailed Trogon, Violaceous Trogon and Black-throated Trogon are the most common. Other species to be found are Great Jacamar, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, and several species of toucans. Red-lored Parrots, and in the wetter areas, Brown-hooded Parrots.

You can also find Cinnamon Woodpecker,  Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Crimson-crested Woodpecker and Lineated Woodpecker and Cocoa woodcreeper. Not as common to spot, the Barred Woodcreeper and Plain-brown Woodcreeper.

At Pipeline rare Raptors like: Collared Forest-Falcon, Semiplumbeous Hawk, or a Black Hawk- Eagle can be seen.

Wetland areas before Pipeline are good to look for Rufescent Tiger-Herons,  White-throated Crake, Jacanas, Snail Kites, and maybe a Limpkin. All in all, another great place to see birds in Panama!

Soberania National Park is perhaps one of the best "hot spots" in Panama. Located on the East bank of the Panama Canal Corridor, only a 30 minute drive from Panama City. It contains semideciduous forests, wetlands, old grouth rainforest and open areas. Besides of Pipeline Road this park also features the Summit Ponds, Old Gamboa Road, Plantation Road, Semaphore Hill Road and the ancient "Camino de Cruces"built by the spaniards. 

Some birds at this area are Boat-billed Herons, Capped and Agami Herons are rare to see, Mangrove Swallow, Lesser kiskadee, Lance-tailed Manakin, Rosy-thrush tanager, Dusky Antbird and White-bellied Antbird, Royal Flycatcher, Crane Hawk, and Pheasant Cuckoo.

 Covering over 265 hectares, The Metropolitan Natural Park  is the only park in Tropical Latin America with a natural forest located within a metropolitan capital.

The Metropolitan Park also shelters plants and animals threatened by extinction. Furthermore, the MNP also serves as an ideal laboratory for tropical research, and is often used by local universities and the Smithsonian Institute. It is also home to more than 267 bird species.

These are some of the birds you can expect to see:

Blue-crowned Motmots, Keel-bill Toucan, Collared Aracari,

Lance-tailed Manakins, Lesser Greenlets, Golden-fronted and Scrub Greenlets, Streak Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher,

Rufous-and-White Wrens, Rufous-breasted Wrens, Red-legged Honeycreepers, Golden-hooded Tanagers, White-winged Becards, Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Red-crowned Woodpecker,

Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Rosy-thrush Tanager, Plain-colored tanagers, Blue-gray Tanagers, Crimson-back Tanagers. 

North on the Caribbean West Bank of the Panama Canal is located, the world famous Achiote Road. Compared in productivity with Pipeline Road, this area contains mostly evergreen forest; the site is well known for its diurnal raptors. The road is located contiguous to the San Lorenzo National Park. Here Gray-headed kite, King Vulture, Short-tail Hawk, White Hawk and Swallow-tail Kite are frequently seen.

The Trogon Trail, a short loop before town, sometimes can be very productive. It is a good place to find White-tail Trogons, Antbirds, Southern Bentbill, Speckled Mourner, Barred Woodcreeper and White-headed Wrens.

Some interesting birds seen along the road are Spot-crowned Barbet, Pied Puffbird, Montezuma Oropendola, Great Antshrike, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Long-tail Tyrant, and Black-headed Saltator.

On the East bank of the Panama Canal are the Cerro Azul foothills, contiguous to Chagres National Park.  Cerro Azul is located  one hour from Panama City. 

Here, foot trails give easy and secure access to the park. Birders View, Bajo Mono Trail, Maipo and the Cerro Jefe are the most visited areas.

These foothills are very good to find colorful tanagers, such as Speckled, Emerald, Bay-headed, Rufous-wing, Hepatic, and Black-and-yellow Tanager.

A variety of hummingbirds are also easily found, such as Violet-headed Hummingbird, Violet-capped Hummingbird, Purple-crowned Fairy, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer and  Hermits, such as White-tipped Sicklebill and Green Hermit. Other birds at Cerro Azul  include Yellow-eared Toucanet, the endemic Striped-cheeked Woodpecker, Black-striped Woodcreeper, White-ruffed Manakin, Scaly-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Olive-striped Flycatcher, Blue-fronted Parrolet, Scaled Pigeon, Spot-crowned Barbet and Slate-colored Grosbeak,  Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle, Speckled Antshrike and Purplish-back Quail-Dove.

This endemic bird area is one of the must productive in Panama when it comes to boosting your life list: Black Guan, Chiriqui Quail-Dove, Flame-throated Warbler, Collared Whitestar, Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher, Black-faced Solitaire, Fiey-throated Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingibrd, White-bellied Mountian Gem and Prong-billed Barbet.  

The huge variety of envinroments, abundant water and many peaks favor the evolution of unique species to be found only in this mountains. Lagunas de Volcan, La Amistad International Park, Fortuna Valley and Santa Clara are among our favorites venues.These  forests also contains the highest peak in Panama, the Baru Volcano, 11,398 ft. above sea level.

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Los Quetzales Trails is perhaps the most famous are in this hotspot. This famous trail goes through the Baru Volcano National Park, and connects the towns of Cerro Punta and Boquete. It is part of the Talamanca Mountain Range, an interesting geological formation that contains unique flora and fauna perfect to harbor the highland bird species of Chiriqui.

The Quetzales Trail goes to  an altitude of 6000 ft, on a ridge with amazing views, and is full of ancient trees like oak, cedar, magnolia and laurel or aguacatillo (Quetzals main food). Ferns and mosses provide habitat for a great number of birds, such as Buffy Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Treerunner, Spotted Barbtail, and Spectacled Foliage-Gleaner. Heliconias and flowers attract a variety of gorgeous hummingbirds such as White-throated Mountain-Gem, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, Magnificent Hummingbird and Violet Sabrewing.

The Resplendent Quetza, Wrenthrush, White-naped Brush-Finch, Lange-footed Finch, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher and Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcher are some other of the avian specialties of the Chiriqui Highlands.

The vast and almost totally flat lowlands of Darien are home to a huge number of birds species that share this jungle with 4 different ethnic groups. The huge rivers, the sky high "cuipo" trees and the deep green jungle are home to feathered marvels such as the Double-banded Greytail, White-heded Wren, Black Oropendola, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Red-billed Schythbill, Black Antshrike, Sulphur-rumped Tanager, Duscky-backed Jacamar, the endemic Striped-cheecked Woodpecker, Black-billed Flycatcher, Crested and Harpy Eagles and the elusive Crested Owl, .