Wildlife in Iowa

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

81,706

recent observations

30

species listed

10

birds

6

insects & arthropods

7

plants

Naturalists have logged 81,706 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in Iowa. The most frequently seen is the House Sparrow, with 6,656 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (10 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (6).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species in Iowa

Passer domesticus

6,656 observations

Danaus plexippus

5,143 observations

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Bombus impatiens

4,899 observations

Turdus migratorius

4,090 observations

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

3,616 observations

common milkweed

Asclepias syriaca

3,506 observations

Brown-belted Bumble Bee

Bombus griseocollis

3,455 observations

Branta canadensis

3,374 observations

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

3,104 observations

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

2,526 observations

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis

2,460 observations

Eastern Fox Squirrel

2,295 observations

Anaxyrus americanus

2,294 observations

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

2,229 observations

tall bellflower

Campanulastrum americanum

2,175 observations · iNaturalist

Golden Oyster Mushroom

Pleurotus citrinopileatus

2,155 observations · iNaturalist

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

2,146 observations

Monarda fistulosa

2,140 observations

Vanessa atalanta

2,067 observations

Western Honey Bee

2,044 observations

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

2,027 observations

Anas platyrhynchos

2,002 observations

Glechoma hederacea

1,969 observations · iNaturalist

American Goldfinch

1,955 observations

Eastern Cottontail

Sylvilagus floridanus

1,953 observations

Amur honeysuckle

Lonicera maackii

1,942 observations

Haemorhous mexicanus

1,938 observations

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

1,861 observations

Alliaria petiolata

1,854 observations

Chrysemys picta

1,831 observations

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