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Wildlife near Riverside, CA

Illustrated wildlife of Riverside

Riverside sits inland in the dry basin below Box Springs Mountain, where citrus country meets the desert edge. Anna’s hummingbirds and California towhees hold the yards, western fence lizards and ground squirrels work the sun, and the Santa Ana River bottom draws herons and the occasional bobcat. Up on the surrounding slopes it is coastal sage scrub with roadrunners, coyotes, and red-tailed hawks riding the afternoon wind.

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

98,283
recent observations
30
species listed
14
birds
3
reptiles & amphibians
6
plants

Naturalists have logged 98,283 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Riverside. The most frequently seen is the Western Fence Lizard, with 11,321 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (14 of the species listed here), followed by reptiles & amphibians (3).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Riverside

Western Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis
11,321 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
6,567 observations
California Buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
4,597 observations · iNaturalist
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
4,085 observations
Common Side-blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
3,972 observations
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
3,777 observations
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
3,641 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
3,490 observations
California Towhee
Melozone crissalis
3,396 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
3,219 observations
Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus psaltria
2,981 observations
California Ground Squirrel
Otospermophilus beecheyi
2,817 observations
Desert Cottontail
Sylvilagus audubonii
2,780 observations
chaparral yucca
Hesperoyucca whipplei
2,719 observations · iNaturalist
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
2,658 observations
Coyote
Canis latrans
2,623 observations
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
2,574 observations
Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
2,570 observations
Sacred Datura
Datura wrightii
2,527 observations
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
2,497 observations
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
2,489 observations
California Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californica
2,430 observations
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
2,419 observations
Western Bluebird
Sialia mexicana
2,356 observations
Brittlebush
Encelia farinosa
2,354 observations · iNaturalist
California sagebrush
Artemisia californica
2,339 observations
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
2,331 observations
coast live oak
Quercus agrifolia
2,294 observations
Gray Bird Grasshopper
Schistocerca nitens
2,258 observations · iNaturalist
Southern Alligator Lizard
Elgaria multicarinata
2,202 observations

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