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Wildlife near Long Beach, CA

Illustrated wildlife of Long Beach

Long Beach runs along the coast where the LA River meets the sea, and the wildlife is a mix of harbor, wetland, and city. California sea lions and harbor seals turn up around the port, brown pelicans and elegant terns work the shoreline, and the restored wetlands at the river mouth pull in egrets, stilts, and wintering shorebirds. Anna’s hummingbirds and California towhees hold the neighborhoods year round.

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

253,180
recent observations
30
species listed
23
birds
2
insects & arthropods
1
reptiles & amphibians

Naturalists have logged 253,180 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Long Beach. The most frequently seen is the Western Fence Lizard, with 20,661 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (23 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (2).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Long Beach

Western Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis
20,661 observations
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
14,085 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
14,017 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
13,506 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
11,991 observations
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
10,918 observations
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
10,011 observations
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
9,607 observations
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
9,600 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
9,167 observations
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
8,746 observations
Garden Snail
Cornu aspersum
7,757 observations · iNaturalist
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
7,123 observations
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
7,068 observations
Allen's Hummingbird
Selasphorus sasin
6,926 observations
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
6,636 observations
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
6,633 observations
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
6,632 observations
Sunburst Anemone
Anthopleura sola
6,588 observations · iNaturalist
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
6,144 observations
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
6,134 observations
American Coot
Fulica americana
6,106 observations
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
6,061 observations
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
5,985 observations
California Brittlebush
Encelia californica
5,919 observations · iNaturalist
Double-crested Cormorant
Nannopterum auritum
5,898 observations
Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
5,879 observations
Great Egret
Ardea alba
5,839 observations
Cooper's Hawk
Astur cooperii
5,775 observations · iNaturalist
Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus psaltria
5,768 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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