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Wildlife in Channel Islands National Park

Here’s what naturalists are spotting in Channel Islands right now - pulled live from recent research-grade observations. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.

21,360
recent observations
30
species listed
19
plants
4
birds
3
mammals

Naturalists have logged 21,360 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in Channel Islands. The most frequently seen is the Island Fox, with 2,736 recorded sightings.

Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (19 of the species listed here), followed by birds (4).

Rarer finds confirmed in Channel Islands include Island Fox and Island Scrub-Jay - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.

Island FoxIsland Scrub-Jay
🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species in Channel Islands

Island Fox
Urocyon littoralis
2,736 observations
Giant Coreopsis
Leptosyne gigantea
1,659 observations · iNaturalist
Island Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma insularis
1,567 observations
Common Side-blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
1,299 observations
Lemonade Berry
Rhus integrifolia
984 observations · iNaturalist
Santa Cruz Island Wild Buckwheat
Eriogonum arborescens
956 observations · iNaturalist
Island Bush Monkeyflower
Diplacus parviflorus
783 observations · iNaturalist
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
767 observations
Blue Dicks
Dipterostemon capitatus
752 observations · iNaturalist
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
674 observations
Common Raven
Corvus corax
649 observations
Coast Morning Glory
Calystegia macrostegia
562 observations · iNaturalist
Island Hazardia
Hazardia detonsa
540 observations · iNaturalist
California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
533 observations
Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia
525 observations · iNaturalist
Island Paintbrush
Castilleja hololeuca
495 observations · iNaturalist
California Sagebrush
Artemisia californica
489 observations
Coyote Brush
Baccharis pilularis
480 observations · iNaturalist
Redflower Buckwheat
Eriogonum grande
461 observations · iNaturalist
Cliff Aster
Malacothrix saxatilis
449 observations · iNaturalist
Giant Kelp
Macrocystis pyrifera
441 observations · iNaturalist
Cardinal Catchfly
Silene laciniata
418 observations · iNaturalist
Greene's Dudleya
Dudleya greenei
418 observations · iNaturalist
California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
416 observations
Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis
406 observations
Island Fence Lizard
Sceloporus becki
405 observations
Coast Paintbrush
Castilleja affinis
398 observations · iNaturalist
Island Ceanothus
Ceanothus arboreus
368 observations · iNaturalist
Wavy Turban
Megastraea undosa
368 observations · iNaturalist
Crystalline Ice Plant
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
362 observations · iNaturalist

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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