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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.

503,273
recent observations
30
species listed
11
birds
8
insects & arthropods
6
plants

Naturalists have logged 503,273 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in North Carolina. The most frequently seen is the Eastern Gray Squirrel, with 28,606 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (11 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (8).

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
28,606 observations
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
26,592 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
26,483 observations
Green Anole
Anolis carolinensis
25,977 observations
Common Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
25,102 observations
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
22,400 observations
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
21,011 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
19,397 observations
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
18,538 observations
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica
18,244 observations
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
17,602 observations
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens
16,573 observations
American sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
15,575 observations
American tuliptree
Liriodendron tulipifera
15,394 observations
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
15,341 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
14,575 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
14,072 observations
American pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
13,578 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
12,998 observations
striped wintergreen
Chimaphila maculata
12,896 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
12,563 observations
Silver-spotted Skipper
Epargyreus clarus
12,542 observations
crane-fly orchid
Tipularia discolor
12,483 observations · iNaturalist
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
12,447 observations
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
12,368 observations
Central Ratsnake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
12,351 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
12,183 observations
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
11,977 observations
Yellow Garden Spider
Argiope aurantia
11,818 observations
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
11,587 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.

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