Places › Cities › Denver

Wildlife near Denver, Colorado

Illustrated wildlife of Denver

Denver runs up against the Front Range, and mountain wildlife spills down into the city. Mule deer and red foxes work the parks, black-billed magpies rattle from the cottonwoods, and Canada geese have taken over every pond and playing field. The South Platte River greenway carries herons, kingfishers, and the occasional beaver right through downtown, and raptors ride the thermals off the foothills all winter.

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

92,951
recent observations
30
species listed
10
birds
11
plants
3
mammals

Naturalists have logged 92,951 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Denver. The most frequently seen is the showy milkweed, with 5,071 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (10 of the species listed here), followed by plants (11).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Denver

showy milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
5,071 observations
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
4,801 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
4,665 observations
Mule Deer
Odocoileus hemionus
4,531 observations
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus
4,048 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
3,874 observations
Great Plains yucca
Yucca glauca
3,869 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
3,735 observations
Black-billed Magpie
Pica hudsonia
3,608 observations
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
3,583 observations
great mullein
Verbascum thapsus
3,474 observations
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
3,308 observations
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
3,270 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
3,035 observations
field bindweed
Convolvulus arvensis
2,988 observations
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
2,836 observations
common starlily
Leucocrinum montanum
2,795 observations · iNaturalist
creeping mahonia
Berberis repens
2,686 observations · iNaturalist
Rubber Rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa
2,658 observations · iNaturalist
Bold Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax
2,527 observations
Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine
Pinus scopulorum
2,394 observations · iNaturalist
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans
2,282 observations
Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer
2,273 observations
chokecherry
Prunus virginiana
2,253 observations
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
2,220 observations
Redstem Stork's-bill
Erodium cicutarium
2,091 observations · iNaturalist
Double-crested Cormorant
Nannopterum auritum
2,080 observations
Woodhouse's Toad
Anaxyrus woodhousii
2,019 observations
thistle poppy
Argemone polyanthemos
1,994 observations · iNaturalist
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
1,983 observations

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.

Get rare-sighting alerts for Denver

We’ll email you when an uncommon or rare species is spotted here. One check a day, only when there’s something new.

Free. Unsubscribe from any email. See our Privacy Policy.

More wildlife near Denver

Exploring Denver?

Take Huck with you. Identify any wildlife you find in seconds, and watch the live map of what is being spotted near Denver right now.

Get Huck

Exploring Denver? Get Huck field notes

Spotting tips, new species, and the best of what naturalists are finding - straight to your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to receive Huck emails. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. See our Privacy Policy.