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Wildlife near Denver, Colorado

Illustrated wildlife of Denver

Denver runs up against the Front Range, and mountain wildlife spills down into the city. Mule deer and red foxes work the parks, black-billed magpies rattle from the cottonwoods, and Canada geese have taken over every pond and playing field. The South Platte River greenway carries herons, kingfishers, and the occasional beaver right through downtown, and raptors ride the thermals off the foothills all winter.

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

89,144
recent observations
30
species listed
10
birds
12
plants
3
mammals

Naturalists have logged 89,144 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Denver. The most frequently seen is the Red-tailed Hawk, with 4,688 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (10 of the species listed here), followed by plants (12).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Denver

Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
4,688 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
4,576 observations
showy milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
4,444 observations
Mule Deer
Odocoileus hemionus
4,437 observations
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus
3,929 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
3,688 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
3,664 observations
Black-billed Magpie
Pica hudsonia
3,475 observations
great mullein
Verbascum thapsus
3,403 observations
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
3,399 observations
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
3,276 observations
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
3,155 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
2,994 observations
field bindweed
Convolvulus arvensis
2,917 observations
Great Plains yucca
Yucca glauca
2,895 observations
common starlily
Leucocrinum montanum
2,792 observations · iNaturalist
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
2,757 observations
creeping mahonia
Berberis repens
2,625 observations · iNaturalist
Rubber Rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa
2,611 observations · iNaturalist
Bold Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax
2,439 observations
Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine
Pinus scopulorum
2,328 observations · iNaturalist
Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer
2,229 observations
chokecherry
Prunus virginiana
2,226 observations
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans
2,224 observations
Redstem Stork's-bill
Erodium cicutarium
2,076 observations · iNaturalist
Double-crested Cormorant
Nannopterum auritum
2,022 observations
Woodhouse's Toad
Anaxyrus woodhousii
1,998 observations
thistle poppy
Argemone polyanthemos
1,980 observations · iNaturalist
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
1,955 observations
Front Range Beardtongue
Penstemon virens
1,942 observations · iNaturalist

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