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Wildlife near Nashville, Tennessee

Illustrated wildlife of Nashville

Nashville sits on the Cumberland River in the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee, and the mix of river, limestone cedar glades, and second-growth forest gives it real variety. Northern mockingbirds and eastern bluebirds are everywhere, great blue herons and belted kingfishers work the river, and barred owls call from the wooded ravines. Radnor Lake on the edge of town is a genuine hotspot, with wintering waterfowl, migrating warblers, and white-tailed deer that barely look up.

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

29,348
recent observations
30
species listed
10
insects & arthropods
7
birds
6
plants

Naturalists have logged 29,348 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Nashville. The most frequently seen is the White-tailed Deer, with 1,502 recorded sightings.

Insects & Arthropods account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (10 of the species listed here), followed by birds (7).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Nashville

White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
1,502 observations
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
1,357 observations
Gulf Fritillary
Dione vanillae
1,309 observations · iNaturalist
Amur Honeysuckle
Lonicera maackii
1,232 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
1,206 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
1,182 observations
Common Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
1,172 observations
Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
1,158 observations
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
1,143 observations
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
1,125 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
1,124 observations
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica
1,044 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
1,029 observations
Hackberry Emperor
Asterocampa celtis
986 observations
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
937 observations
Central Ratsnake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
898 observations
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
870 observations
Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor
866 observations
Common Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon
838 observations
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens
820 observations
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
818 observations
American Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
811 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
790 observations
Cope's Gray Tree Frog
Dryophytes chrysoscelis
781 observations · iNaturalist
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
772 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
760 observations
Purple Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
747 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
705 observations
Eastern Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
685 observations
Huron Skipper
Atalopedes huron
681 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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