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Wildlife near Orlando, FL

Illustrated wildlife of Orlando

Orlando is built among hundreds of lakes in central Florida, and the water is full of wildlife. Sandhill cranes stalk across lawns and golf courses, alligators live in nearly every lake, and anhingas and great blue herons work the shorelines. The neighborhoods hold gopher tortoises, green anoles, and barred owls, and the wetlands on the edges pull in wood storks, limpkins, and roseate spoonbills.

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

144,734
recent observations
30
species listed
16
birds
7
reptiles & amphibians
3
plants

Naturalists have logged 144,734 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Orlando. The most frequently seen is the Brown Anole, with 21,818 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (16 of the species listed here), followed by reptiles & amphibians (7).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Orlando

Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
21,818 observations
White Ibis
Eudocimus albus
9,370 observations
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
8,509 observations
American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
7,389 observations
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
6,922 observations
Great Egret
Ardea alba
5,970 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
5,545 observations
White beggarticks
Bidens alba
5,356 observations · iNaturalist
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
5,222 observations
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
4,984 observations
Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensis
4,606 observations
Cuban Tree Frog
Osteopilus septentrionalis
4,301 observations
Gopher Tortoise
Gopherus polyphemus
4,134 observations
Southern Toad
Anaxyrus terrestris
3,902 observations
Boat-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus major
3,895 observations
Common Gallinule
Gallinula galeata
3,893 observations
Tricolored Heron
Egretta tricolor
3,334 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
3,216 observations
American beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
3,212 observations
Limpkin
Aramus guarauna
2,919 observations
Palm Warbler
Setophaga palmarum
2,865 observations
Spanish moss
Tillandsia usneoides
2,834 observations
White Peacock
Anartia jatrophae
2,769 observations · iNaturalist
Gulf Fritillary
Dione vanillae
2,652 observations · iNaturalist
Green Anole
Anolis carolinensis
2,623 observations
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Romalea microptera
2,587 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
2,555 observations
Florida Softshell Turtle
Apalone ferox
2,503 observations
Wood Stork
Mycteria americana
2,457 observations
Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschata
2,392 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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