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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.

133,750
recent observations
30
species listed
15
birds
7
insects & arthropods
6
plants

Naturalists have logged 133,750 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Philadelphia. The most frequently seen is the American Robin, with 8,227 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
8,227 observations
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
7,170 observations
Spotted Lanternfly
Lycorma delicatula
6,681 observations · iNaturalist
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
6,508 observations
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
5,909 observations
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
5,836 observations
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
5,489 observations
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
5,194 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
4,961 observations
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
4,764 observations
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
4,700 observations
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
4,698 observations
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
4,552 observations
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
4,468 observations
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
4,283 observations
lesser celandine
Ficaria verna
4,145 observations · iNaturalist
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
4,027 observations
garlic mustard
Alliaria petiolata
3,600 observations
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens
3,580 observations
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
3,572 observations
American pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
3,419 observations
common mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris
3,276 observations · iNaturalist
Huron Skipper
Atalopedes huron
3,199 observations · iNaturalist
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
3,182 observations
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
3,177 observations
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
3,122 observations
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
3,056 observations
white snakeroot
Ageratina altissima
3,008 observations
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
2,992 observations
wineberry
Rubus phoenicolasius
2,955 observations

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