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Wildlife near Fresno, CA

Illustrated wildlife of Fresno

Fresno sits in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley with the Sierra Nevada rising to the east. The valley floor runs to great-tailed grackles, mockingbirds, and ground squirrels, while the San Joaquin River on the north edge holds herons, beavers, and wintering waterfowl. This is farm country on the Pacific Flyway, so the surrounding wetlands and refuges fill each winter with sandhill cranes, geese, and huge numbers of ducks.

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

9,542
recent observations
30
species listed
12
birds
8
insects & arthropods
3
reptiles & amphibians

Naturalists have logged 9,542 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Fresno. The most frequently seen is the California Scrub-Jay, with 572 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (12 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (8).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Fresno

California Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californica
572 observations
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
530 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
511 observations
Western Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis
500 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
450 observations
California Ground Squirrel
Otospermophilus beecheyi
416 observations
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
413 observations
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
386 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
381 observations
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
378 observations
Sacred Datura
Datura wrightii
349 observations
Garden Snail
Cornu aspersum
348 observations · iNaturalist
Western Toad
Anaxyrus boreas
330 observations
Gray Bird Grasshopper
Schistocerca nitens
300 observations · iNaturalist
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
298 observations
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
269 observations
Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
268 observations
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
264 observations
Great Egret
Ardea alba
242 observations
Bold Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax
233 observations
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
230 observations
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
227 observations
Valley Oak
Quercus lobata
221 observations
Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
218 observations
Pacific Chorus Frog
Pseudacris regilla
215 observations
Mediterranean Mantis
Iris oratoria
210 observations · iNaturalist
Western Black Widow
Latrodectus hesperus
202 observations
Turkey Mullein
Croton setiger
197 observations · iNaturalist
Leptoglossus zonatus
Leptoglossus zonatus
194 observations · iNaturalist
Vinegar Weed
Trichostema lanceolatum
190 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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