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Wildlife near Atlanta, Georgia

Illustrated wildlife of Atlanta

Atlanta is a forest with a city in it, one of the most tree-covered big cities in the country, and the animals take full advantage. White-tailed deer wander the wooded neighborhoods, brown thrashers (the state bird) rustle through leaf litter, and red-tailed hawks and barred owls hunt the canopy. The Chattahoochee River corridor on the north side adds great blue herons, kingfishers, and beavers. Chimney swifts wheel over downtown at dusk in warm months.

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

65,013
recent observations
30
species listed
9
insects & arthropods
8
birds
8
plants

Naturalists have logged 65,013 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Atlanta. The most frequently seen is the Joro Spider, with 4,198 recorded sightings.

Insects & Arthropods account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (9 of the species listed here), followed by birds (8).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Atlanta

Joro Spider
Trichonephila clavata
4,198 observations
Green Anole
Anolis carolinensis
3,645 observations
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
3,365 observations
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
3,188 observations
Gulf Fritillary
Dione vanillae
3,113 observations · iNaturalist
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
2,941 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
2,665 observations
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica
2,366 observations
DeKay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi
2,268 observations
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
2,178 observations
American sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
2,178 observations
American tuliptree
Liriodendron tulipifera
2,082 observations
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens
2,072 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
1,917 observations
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
1,847 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
1,846 observations
American pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
1,816 observations
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
1,768 observations
Virginia creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
1,725 observations
Fiery Skipper
Hylephila phyleus
1,713 observations · iNaturalist
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
1,702 observations
Common Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
1,673 observations
leatherleaf mahonia
Berberis bealei
1,667 observations · iNaturalist
Silver-spotted Skipper
Epargyreus clarus
1,653 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
1,650 observations
Chinese privet
Ligustrum sinense
1,604 observations
southern magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
1,563 observations
Carolina Mantis
Stagmomantis carolina
1,555 observations
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
1,554 observations
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
1,501 observations

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