Isla Pájaros - Coiba National Park
Isla Pájaros: A Wild Island in Northern Coiba
Isla Pájaros is a small, forested island in the northern reaches of Coiba National Park. Covering approximately 45 hectares, it lies among the remote islands and channels near Brincanco, Uva and Canal de Afuera.
Its name translates simply as “Bird Island”, which might suggest an island covered with nesting seabirds. The real story, however, is a little more interesting. Historical ornithological observations describe Pájaros as a steep, densely wooded island, while nearby smaller islets were used by nesting frigatebirds.
Today, Isla Pájaros remains one of the lesser-known islands of Coiba: undeveloped, heavily protected and surrounded by the rich marine environment of the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
Where Is Isla Pájaros?
Pájaros lies in the northern portion of Coiba National Park, near Brincanco, Uva and Canal de Afuera.
The park’s management plan places the island along a protected maritime circuit through this northern region. The route travels from Uva northeast toward Brincanco, then southeast past Isla Pájaros before continuing toward Canal de Afuera.
This places Pájaros within a fascinating landscape of forested islands, small rocky islets, channels and open Pacific water.
A Small but Protected Island
At approximately 45 hectares, Isla Pájaros is considerably smaller than nearby Brincanco or Uva. Despite its size, the island receives the same strong terrestrial protection afforded to several of Coiba’s larger islands.
The Coiba National Park management plan specifically includes the vegetation of Isla Pájaros within its Zone of Absolute Protection.
The purpose of this designation is to maintain terrestrial ecosystems in their natural condition and allow biological and physical processes to continue with minimal human disturbance.
Extraction of natural resources is prohibited, and management is focused on preserving the island’s biodiversity and ecological processes.
Why Is It Called Bird Island?
The Spanish word pájaros means “birds,” so it would be reasonable to assume that Isla Pájaros received its name because of a large seabird colony.
Historical ornithological observations, however, suggest that the story isn’t quite that simple.
American ornithologist Alexander Wetmore, one of the most important researchers of Panama’s birds, explored the Coiba region during his extensive studies of Panamanian birdlife.
In March 1962, Wetmore observed Isla Pájaros from the waters near Brincanco. His field notes described it as a steep-sided, heavily wooded island. Interestingly, he noted that he could see no obvious seabirds on Pájaros itself from the boat.
Frigatebirds on the Nearby Islets
Wetmore did find seabirds nearby.
His observations describe two small unnamed islands in the same area, one partly open and partly covered with bushes. On these smaller islets he recorded a small colony of frigatebirds.
This is an important distinction when describing Isla Pájaros today. The name shouldn’t automatically be interpreted to mean that the main island itself supports an enormous nesting colony.
Instead, Pájaros sits within a larger island environment where forest birds, coastal birds and seabirds can use different habitats across the main island and surrounding islets.
Birdlife in the Coiba Archipelago
Although historical observations don’t support portraying Isla Pájaros itself as a giant seabird colony, the surrounding Coiba archipelago is exceptionally important for birds.
The isolation of Coiba and its smaller islands has allowed distinctive populations to survive while extensive areas of natural forest provide habitat for tropical birds.
Coiba is particularly important for conservation because some birds found in the archipelago are endemic or have developed distinctive island populations.
Visitors exploring the northern islands may see seabirds flying over the channels, birds moving along the forested shorelines and frigatebirds soaring high above the islands.
As always with wildlife, sightings vary with season, weather and location.
A Forested Pacific Island
One thing the historical descriptions make very clear is that Pájaros is not simply a bare rock used by seabirds.
It is a steep, wooded tropical island.
The forest extends across much of the island, creating terrestrial habitat within a much larger marine landscape. Because the vegetation is protected under the park’s strictest terrestrial zoning, the island is intended to remain largely undisturbed.
This forest cover distinguishes Pájaros from the tiny exposed rocks and islets scattered throughout the surrounding waters.
Life Around the Island
As with many of Coiba’s smaller islands, much of the ecological importance of Pájaros lies in the relationship between land and sea.
Its coastline meets the protected waters of Coiba National Park, where rocky substrates, reefs, channels and deeper Pacific environments support an extraordinary diversity of marine life.
Across the wider Coiba World Heritage property, these waters provide habitat for sharks, rays, sea turtles, dolphins, whales and hundreds of species of fish.
Small islands such as Pájaros contribute shoreline and shallow-water habitat to this much larger interconnected ecosystem.
Part of the Contreras Area
Pájaros is best understood as part of the broader northern island landscape that includes Uva and Brincanco.
These islands are often grouped geographically with the Islas Contreras area. The channels between them create a maze of protected and exposed marine environments, while differences in island size, vegetation and coastline provide a variety of terrestrial habitats.
Coiba’s management plan recognizes these islands as a connected area for conservation and patrol purposes rather than treating each one as an isolated ecosystem.
For visitors exploring the northern part of Coiba by boat, that same relationship is immediately apparent: Pájaros is one part of a much larger wilderness of islands and open water.
Exploring Isla Pájaros
Pájaros is not a developed tourist destination. There are no hotels, restaurants or conventional visitor facilities on the island.
Most visitors who encounter Pájaros will experience it from a boat while exploring the northern islands of Coiba National Park. Depending on the itinerary and conditions, trips through the region may include wildlife observation, diving, snorkeling or travel between nearby islands and reefs.
Because Pájaros falls within a highly protected terrestrial zone, visitors should not assume that landing or exploring the island is permitted. Access should always follow current park regulations and the instructions of authorized guides and park officials.
Explore Tours to Coiba National Park →
Protecting Isla Pájaros
The wilderness character of Pájaros is precisely what Coiba National Park is intended to preserve.
Visitors traveling through the area should maintain a respectful distance from birds and other wildlife, particularly around nesting or roosting areas. Birds should never be approached simply to obtain a better photograph.
Nothing should be collected from the island or surrounding waters, and visitors should avoid disturbing vegetation, reefs or other natural habitat.
The small size of islands such as Pájaros makes minimizing disturbance particularly important.
More Than a Name
Isla Pájaros is a good example of why Coiba’s smaller islands deserve individual attention.
At first glance, “Bird Island” seems to tell us everything we need to know. Historical research reveals a more nuanced story: a steep tropical island covered in forest, surrounded by smaller islets where seabirds have been documented nesting, all within one of Panama’s richest protected marine environments.
Its 45 hectares may represent only a tiny fraction of Coiba National Park, but Pájaros contributes another distinct habitat to the remarkable collection of islands, forests, reefs and ocean environments protected here.
Explore the Northern Islands of Coiba
Isla Pájaros lies among some of the most remote islands in the northern part of Coiba National Park. Together with Uva, Brincanco and Canal de Afuera, it forms part of an extraordinary landscape where tropical forests rise directly from the Pacific.
Explore the Islands & Reefs of Coiba National Park → | Discover Brincanco Island → | Explore Uva Island → | Discover Canal de Afuera →
