All 4 in 3 days here: ~40%
City
Austin
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 432 spp. recorded
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. Austin is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Wikipedia
30.360° N 97.740° W
🦜 Nature
432 Species sighted
538,715 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in Austin
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Mills Pond at Wells Branch
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Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park
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Roy G Guerrero Park—Cliff Overlook Area
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Lake Creek Trail · West (Williamson Co.)
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Southeast Greenway, Mueller
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Shoal Creek Greenbelt · Sheffield Northwest Park
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Zilker Metro Park · Barton Springs area
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Brackenridge Field Labs (U.Tx.)
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Willow Trace Detention Pond
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Shoal Creek Greenbelt--Pease District Park area
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Muir Lake (Lakeline Park)
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Quarries Park, Austin
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
53Jan
59Feb
87Mar
102Apr
98May
92Jun
97Jul
88Aug
91Sep
101Oct
82Nov
65Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
2%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
67
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Humid subtropical
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
5.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 505
🐒 Mammals 75
🦎 Reptiles 111
🐸 Amphibians 52
743 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
31 Threatened 33 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.4
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
65% 📊
Coverage (150 species at ≥5% of 743 in the inventory)
20% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (9 bird, 2 reptile, 1 mammal)
54% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
18 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.3
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 2% land Medium
Protected areas 67 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Austin?
432 species
Austin's urban area has 432 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Northern Cardinal (about 90%), Carolina Wren (about 80%), White-winged Dove (about 80%), Blue Jay (about 80%) and Northern Mockingbird (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Fox Squirrel (about 70%); among reptiles, Texas Spiny Lizard (about 50%); among amphibians, Gulf Coast Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Austin?
April–June and August–October
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in July and November–March.
Can you see a Carolina Wren in Austin?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Carolina Wren sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 20,589 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August and September (about 90%).
Can you see a Carolina Chickadee in Austin?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Carolina Chickadee sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 16,759 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May (about 80%).
Can you see a Northern Cardinal in Austin?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Cardinal sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 23,907 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March–June and August–September (about 90%).
Where in Austin is wildlife easiest to see?
Mills Pond at Wells Branch
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Mills Pond at Wells Branch (194 bird species recorded), followed by Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park and Roy G Guerrero Park—Cliff Overlook Area. See them on the map.
Is Austin good for wildlife watching?
4.6 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Austin gets 4.6/5: 70th of 380 cities worldwide and 3rd in North America. 24 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