Places CitiesHouston

Wildlife near Houston, Texas

Illustrated wildlife of Houston

Houston is bayou country flattened into a metro, and the slow brown waterways run right through it. Great egrets and yellow-crowned night-herons stalk the ditches, green anoles turn from green to brown on every fence, and alligators live in the bayous and detention ponds more often than newcomers expect. The city sits on a major migration funnel, so spring brings a flood of warblers and tanagers dropping into the tree cover, and the coast an hour south is one of the best birding regions in North America.

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

144,882
recent observations
30
species listed
13
birds
9
insects & arthropods
4
reptiles & amphibians

Naturalists have logged 144,882 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Houston. The most frequently seen is the Gulf Fritillary, with 9,409 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (13 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (9).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Houston

Gulf Fritillary
Dione vanillae
9,409 observations · iNaturalist
Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
8,670 observations
Green Anole
Anolis carolinensis
7,554 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
7,356 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
6,627 observations
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
6,461 observations
Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
6,130 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
6,130 observations
Great Egret
Ardea alba
5,896 observations
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Nyctanassa violacea
5,334 observations
Gulf Coast Toad
Incilius nebulifer
4,858 observations
Blue Dasher
Pachydiplax longipennis
4,523 observations
Pinkladies
Oenothera speciosa
4,520 observations
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
4,471 observations
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
4,137 observations
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
4,046 observations
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna autumnalis
3,929 observations
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
3,831 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
3,786 observations
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
3,728 observations
Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschata
3,661 observations
White Ibis
Eudocimus albus
3,578 observations
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
3,532 observations
Eastern Pondhawk
Erythemis simplicicollis
3,396 observations
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica
3,395 observations
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
3,335 observations
straggler daisy
Calyptocarpus vialis
3,180 observations · iNaturalist
firewheel
Gaillardia pulchella
3,167 observations
American Bumble Bee
Bombus pensylvanicus
3,164 observations
Salt Marsh Moth
Estigmene acrea
3,078 observations · iNaturalist

Get rare-sighting alerts for Houston

We’ll email you when an uncommon or rare species is spotted here. One check a day, only when there’s something new.

Free. Unsubscribe from any email. See our Privacy Policy.

More wildlife near Houston

Exploring Houston?

Take Huck with you. Identify any wildlife you find in seconds, and watch the live map of what is being spotted near Houston right now.

Get Huck

Exploring Houston? Get Huck field notes

Spotting tips, new species, and the best of what naturalists are finding - straight to your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to receive Huck emails. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. See our Privacy Policy.