The largest antelope in Asia, the Nilgai was brought from India to south Texas ranches in the 1920s and 30s and never left. Free-ranging herds now number in the tens of thousands across the brush country, where bulls carry a striking blue-grey coat that earns them the name blue bull. Big, wary, and fast, a Nilgai on the horizon is one of the strangest sights in American ranchland.
Best time to see a Nilgai
The best time to see a Nilgai is October–March, when about 61% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 718 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Nilgai? What animal is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Nilgai sightings near you
Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.
Spotted a Nilgai?
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