Dr. Rafael María Moscoso Botanic Garden – Dominican Republic

About

The Dr. Rafael María Moscoso Botanic Garden, also known as the Jardin Botanico National, is located in Santo Domingo – the capital of the Dominican Republic. It is the largest botanic garden in the Caribbean. The garden covers 400 acres and was founded in 1976 and named after the first Dominican botanist Rafael María Moscoso, who cataloged the Hispaniola island flora in 1943. While this garden is very much focused on flowers and other plants, including 300 types of orchids, with a grand total of about 69,000 plants from around the world, it is also a great destination for birding and bird photography. There is a huge variety of birds that both reside and pass through this garden. There is so much vegetation that it provides a wonderful habitat and food source for the birds here. There is a Japanese garden and also an area called Central Square in the garden, with a pond that attracts wildlife and is home to various plants and fish. There is a different specialized area for herbs, trees, endemic plants, and palm trees. There is also an ecological museum where visitors can learn about the various ecosystems of the area. The garden hosts an annual National Festival of Plants and Flowers as well, which is attended by many botanists and florists. It is a hotspot for birding too, and the Hispaniolan woodpecker, Hispaniolan parakeet, Limpkin, and others are commonly seen here.

Owen has photographed several bird species here, including the Antillean Euphonia, Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo, West Indian Whistling Duck, and Mangrove Cuckoo.
Owen traveled here in January of 2019.

© Jardin Botanico Nacional

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Birds found here

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  Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo

  
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  Antillean Euphonia

  
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  Black-and-white Warbler

  
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  Mangrove Cuckoo

  
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  West Indian Whistling Duck