Austin’s signature wildlife event happens under a road: around a million and a half Mexican free-tailed bats pour out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge on summer evenings, the largest urban bat colony anywhere. Beyond that, the city straddles the edge of the Hill Country, so golden-cheeked warblers nest in the juniper canyons, black-crested titmice and painted buntings show up in the greenbelts, and the spring-fed creeks hold everything from green herons to the occasional ringtail.
Everything below is pulled live from recent research-grade observations near Austin. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.
171,603
recent observations
30
species listed
14
plants
6
insects & arthropods
5
reptiles & amphibians
Naturalists have logged 171,603 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Austin. The most frequently seen is the Texas Spiny Lizard, with 9,068 recorded sightings.
Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (14 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (6).