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Wildlife near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Illustrated wildlife of Philadelphia

Philadelphia sits between the Schuylkill and the Delaware, and both rivers run wild at the edges. Bald eagles nest along the Delaware again after decades away, great blue herons and night-herons work the tidal marshes at John Heinz refuge, and the Wissahickon gorge cuts a genuinely forested valley through the city with barred owls and white-tailed deer. In the rowhouse neighborhoods it is northern cardinals, gray squirrels, and red-tailed hawks on the church steeples.

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

140,234
recent observations
30
species listed
15
birds
7
insects & arthropods
6
plants

Naturalists have logged 140,234 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Philadelphia. The most frequently seen is the American Robin, with 8,326 recorded sightings.

Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (15 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (7).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species near Philadelphia

American Robin
Turdus migratorius
8,326 observations
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
7,602 observations
Spotted Lanternfly
Lycorma delicatula
6,844 observations
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
6,734 observations
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
6,387 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
6,104 observations
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
5,675 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
5,350 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
5,042 observations
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
4,881 observations
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
4,853 observations
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
4,830 observations
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
4,747 observations
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
4,617 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
4,473 observations
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
4,402 observations
Lesser Celandine
Ficaria verna
4,154 observations · iNaturalist
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens
4,058 observations
White Snakeroot
Ageratina altissima
3,951 observations
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
3,687 observations
American Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
3,660 observations
Huron Skipper
Atalopedes huron
3,619 observations · iNaturalist
Garlic Mustard
Alliaria petiolata
3,612 observations
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
3,467 observations
Common Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris
3,452 observations · iNaturalist
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
3,283 observations
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
3,224 observations
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
3,116 observations
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
3,048 observations
Wineberry
Rubus phoenicolasius
3,036 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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