Wildlife in North Carolina

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

490,231

recent observations

30

species listed

11

birds

7

insects & arthropods

7

plants

Naturalists have logged 490,231 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in North Carolina. The most frequently seen is the Eastern Gray Squirrel, with 27,791 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (11 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (7).

Rarer finds confirmed in North Carolina include Spotted Wintergreen - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.

Spotted Wintergreen

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species in North Carolina

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

27,791 observations

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

26,111 observations

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Papilio glaucus

26,036 observations

Anolis carolinensis

25,170 observations

Common Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina

24,484 observations

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

21,580 observations

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis

20,557 observations

Turdus migratorius

19,293 observations

Polystichum acrostichoides

18,100 observations

Eastern Bluebird

17,417 observations

Eastern Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa virginica

17,291 observations

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Bombus impatiens

15,676 observations

American sweetgum

Liquidambar styraciflua

15,317 observations

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

15,091 observations

American tuliptree

Liriodendron tulipifera

15,009 observations

Great Blue Heron

14,237 observations

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

12,977 observations

Branta canadensis

12,828 observations

striped wintergreen

Chimaphila maculata

12,744 observations

Danaus plexippus

12,649 observations

crane-fly orchid

Tipularia discolor

12,435 observations · iNaturalist

Thryothorus ludovicianus

12,262 observations

Haemorhous mexicanus

12,249 observations

Silver-spotted Skipper

Epargyreus clarus

12,248 observations

Western Honey Bee

12,168 observations

Central Ratsnake

Pantherophis alleghaniensis

12,102 observations

Anas platyrhynchos

12,015 observations

Zenaida macroura

11,768 observations

Red-shouldered Hawk

11,338 observations

11,288 observations

Get rare-sighting alerts for North Carolina

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 North Carolina

Exploring North Carolina?

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

Exploring North Carolina? Get Huck field notes

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