Wildlife in North Carolina

Here’s what naturalists are spotting in North Carolina right now - pulled live from recent research-grade observations. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.

484,356

recent observations

30

species listed

10

birds

7

insects & arthropods

7

plants

Naturalists have logged 484,356 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in North Carolina. The most frequently seen is the Eastern Gray Squirrel, with 27,530 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (10 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (7).

Rarer finds confirmed in North Carolina include Spotted Wintergreen - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.

Spotted Wintergreen

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species in North Carolina

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

27,530 observations

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

25,949 observations

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Papilio glaucus

25,373 observations

Anolis carolinensis

24,834 observations

Common Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina

24,151 observations

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

21,286 observations

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis

20,309 observations

Turdus migratorius

19,242 observations

Polystichum acrostichoides

17,960 observations

Eastern Bluebird

17,341 observations

Eastern Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa virginica

17,068 observations

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Bombus impatiens

15,412 observations

American sweetgum

Liquidambar styraciflua

15,168 observations

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

15,004 observations

American tuliptree

Liriodendron tulipifera

14,873 observations

Great Blue Heron

14,097 observations

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

12,738 observations

Branta canadensis

12,735 observations

striped wintergreen

Chimaphila maculata

12,687 observations

crane-fly orchid

Tipularia discolor

12,353 observations · iNaturalist

Danaus plexippus

12,175 observations

Haemorhous mexicanus

12,155 observations

Thryothorus ludovicianus

12,140 observations

Western Honey Bee

12,037 observations

Central Ratsnake

Pantherophis alleghaniensis

12,022 observations

Silver-spotted Skipper

Epargyreus clarus

11,891 observations

Anas platyrhynchos

11,815 observations

Zenaida macroura

11,656 observations

11,207 observations

Trachemys scripta

11,148 observations

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