Tucson is Sonoran Desert ringed by sky-island mountains, and the saguaro forest reaches right into the neighborhoods. Gila woodpeckers and cactus wrens nest in the big cactus, Gambel’s quail scurry in family lines, and desert cottontails and round-tailed ground squirrels work the yards. Harris’s hawks hunt in cooperative groups, unusual among raptors, and monsoon rains in late summer bring out spadefoot toads and Sonoran Desert toads overnight.
Everything below is pulled live from recent research-grade observations near Tucson. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.
123,705
recent observations
30
species listed
10
plants
13
birds
4
reptiles & amphibians
Naturalists have logged 123,705 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Tucson. The most frequently seen is the saguaro, with 20,004 recorded sightings.
Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (10 of the species listed here), followed by birds (13).