Macaw Mountain Bird Park

Macaw Mountain Bird Park, set in a forested valley 3 km northwest of Copán Ruinas, is a rescue and conservation facility for native Central American bird species, with a focus on parrots and macaws. Scarlet macaws, mealy parrots, keel-billed toucans, and other species are kept in large open-air enclosures in a riverside setting, and visitors can handle some of the birds. The facility rescues wild-caught birds confiscated from the illegal pet trade.

The park also has a small river swimming hole and well-maintained trails through secondary forest. It's a good half-day trip from Copán Ruinas and is appropriate for children. The walk or tuk-tuk ride from town passes through coffee farms; the park entrance is on a hillside above the river. Open daily; admission includes a guided tour.

things to do nature attraction
A story
The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is the national bird of Honduras and was deeply significant to the ancient Maya — macaw feathers were high-value trade goods, and the birds appear repeatedly in Copán's iconography, particularly in the macaw stairways of the Acropolis's East Court. Macaw Mountain's conservation programme has been instrumental in re-establishing a wild macaw population in the Copán valley, which had been hunted to near-extinction. The birds released into the wild from the park are now visible flying over the archaeological site.