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Wildlife near Henderson, NV

Illustrated wildlife of Henderson

Henderson spreads across the desert southeast of Las Vegas, and its wildlife surprise is a chain of ponds. The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, built on water-reclamation basins, pulls in herons, avocets, and wintering ducks in the middle of the Mojave. Around it the desert holds Gambel’s quail, desert cottontails, and roadrunners, and the ridgelines above town see the occasional desert bighorn.

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

44,801
recent observations
30
species listed
10
plants
17
birds
2
mammals

Naturalists have logged 44,801 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Henderson. The most frequently seen is the Creosote Bush, with 9,547 recorded sightings.

Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (10 of the species listed here), followed by birds (17).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Henderson

Creosote Bush
Larrea tridentata
9,547 observations
California Barrel Cactus
Ferocactus cylindraceus
2,549 observations
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
2,548 observations
Mojave Yucca
Yucca schidigera
2,507 observations · iNaturalist
Beavertail Pricklypear
Opuntia basilaris
2,203 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
1,634 observations
Cottontop Cactus
Homalocephala polycephala
1,594 observations · iNaturalist
American Coot
Fulica americana
1,513 observations
Silver Cholla
Cylindropuntia echinocarpa
1,242 observations · iNaturalist
Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
1,215 observations
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
1,198 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
1,196 observations
Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus
Echinocereus engelmannii
1,196 observations
Johnson's Beehive Cactus
Echinomastus johnsonii
1,193 observations · iNaturalist
Desert Cottontail
Sylvilagus audubonii
1,129 observations
Gambel's Quail
Callipepla gambelii
1,053 observations
Greater Roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
1,052 observations
Brittlebush
Encelia farinosa
1,017 observations · iNaturalist
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
928 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
822 observations
Verdin
Auriparus flaviceps
822 observations
Nevada Jointfir
Ephedra nevadensis
800 observations · iNaturalist
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
785 observations
Common Gallinule
Gallinula galeata
764 observations
Common Side-blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
756 observations
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
739 observations
Bighorn Sheep
Ovis canadensis
733 observations
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
724 observations
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
675 observations
Double-crested Cormorant
Nannopterum auritum
667 observations

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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