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Wildlife near Albuquerque, NM

Illustrated wildlife of Albuquerque

Albuquerque runs along the Rio Grande in the high desert under the Sandia Mountains, and the river’s cottonwood forest, the bosque, is the wild heart of it. Sandhill cranes and snow geese winter there by the thousands, porcupines and beavers work the woods, and roadrunners and black-chinned hummingbirds handle the desert edges. Up in the Sandias just east of town, the terrain climbs fast into pine forest with black bears and mule deer.

Everything below is pulled live from recent research-grade observations near Albuquerque. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.

49,745
recent observations
30
species listed
15
birds
7
plants
4
insects & arthropods

Naturalists have logged 49,745 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Albuquerque. The most frequently seen is the Greater Roadrunner, with 3,494 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (15 of the species listed here), followed by plants (7).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Albuquerque

Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
3,494 observations
Southwestern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus cowlesi
2,866 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
2,589 observations
Silverleaf Nightshade
Solanum elaeagnifolium
2,515 observations · iNaturalist
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
2,340 observations
American Bumble Bee
Bombus pensylvanicus
2,245 observations
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
2,163 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
2,027 observations
Tree Cholla
Cylindropuntia imbricata
1,962 observations
Cooper's Hawk
Astur cooperii
1,682 observations · iNaturalist
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
1,535 observations
Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
1,501 observations
Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
1,440 observations
Curve-billed Thrasher
Toxostoma curvirostre
1,412 observations
Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus psaltria
1,410 observations
Say's Phoebe
Sayornis saya
1,402 observations
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
1,391 observations · iNaturalist
Desert Cottontail
Sylvilagus audubonii
1,363 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
1,321 observations
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Archilochus alexandri
1,309 observations
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
1,306 observations
Fourwing Saltbush
Atriplex canescens
1,304 observations
Common Side-blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
1,303 observations
Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus
Echinocereus coccineus
1,195 observations
Convergent Lady Beetle
Hippodamia convergens
1,162 observations
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
1,134 observations
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
1,117 observations
Western Black Widow
Latrodectus hesperus
1,102 observations
Gypsum Phacelia
Phacelia integrifolia
1,080 observations · iNaturalist
Rubber Rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa
1,075 observations · iNaturalist

Built from recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. Identifications are community-sourced and may occasionally be wrong, and the ranking reflects where people record and photograph wildlife, so a species seen often here is not necessarily rare elsewhere. Some plants and animals are only out in certain seasons. Treat this as a lively snapshot of what people are finding, not a formal checklist.

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