All 4 in 3 days here: ~10%
City
Anchorage
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 194 spp. recorded
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. Wikipedia
61.172° N 149.849° W
🦜 Nature
194 Species sighted
90,752 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Quiller
Erethizon dorsatus
LC
Coyote
Canis latrans
LC
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Brown Bear
Ursus arctos
LC
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Anchorage
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Westchester Lagoon
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Spenard Crossing
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Chester Creek & Fish Creek Mouths (Audubon Bench & Fish Creek Bench)
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Chester Creek to Ship Creek
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Spenard Crossing to Valley of the Moon Park
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Ship Creek Overlook Park
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Cuddy Family Midtown Park
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
15Jan
16Feb
16Mar
20Apr
27May
29Jun
25Jul
28Aug
23Sep
20Oct
16Nov
16Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
0.2%
Protected sea
0.0%
Protected areas
6
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
0
placesClimate
Subarctic
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.2
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 308
🐒 Mammals 75
🦎 Reptiles 3
🐸 Amphibians 3
389 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
30 Threatened 1 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
63% 📊
Coverage (76 species at ≥5% of 389 in the inventory)
20% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 mammal)
20% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
4 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
14 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.6
Climate Harsh Low
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 0.2% land Low
Protected areas 6 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 0 Low
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Anchorage?
194 species
Anchorage's urban area has 194 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Black-billed Magpie (about 80%), Mallard (about 80%), Moose (about 80%), Short-billed Gull (about 70%) and Black-capped Chickadee (about 60%). Among amphibians, the most-seen is Wood Frog (about 10%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Anchorage?
May and June
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 40% in December to March.
Can you see a Moose in Anchorage?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Moose sighting in Anchorage on a given day, based on 847 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–March and October–November (about 90%).
Can you see a Black-billed Magpie in Anchorage?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Black-billed Magpie sighting in Anchorage on a given day, based on 6,388 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March and December–January (over 90%).
Can you see a Short-billed Gull in Anchorage?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Short-billed Gull sighting in Anchorage on a given day, based on 4,205 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and July (about 90%).
Where in Anchorage is wildlife easiest to see?
Westchester Lagoon
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Westchester Lagoon (130 bird species recorded), followed by Spenard Crossing and Chester Creek & Fish Creek Mouths (Audubon Bench & Fish Creek Bench). See them on the map.
Is Anchorage good for wildlife watching?
4.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Anchorage gets 4.0/5: 239th of 380 cities worldwide and 35th in North America. 21 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
Nearest Zoos & Centres
Sources: urban area GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A, European Commission JRC (CC BY 4.0) · protected land WDPA, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN (via GHSL) · climate NASA POWER · wildlife GBIF.org citizen-science data