All 5 in 3 days here: ~90%
City
Essen
🇩🇪 Germany
Europe, Germany 193 spp. recorded
Essen is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Essen lies in the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, second largest by GDP in the EU, and is part of the cultural area of Rhineland. Due to its central location in the Ruhr, Essen is often regarded as the Ruhr's "secret capital". Wikipedia
51.489° N 6.938° E
🦜 Nature
193 Species sighted
9,482 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
River Cooter
Pseudemys concinna
LC
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
LC
Florida Redbelly Turtle
Pseudemys nelsoni
LC
Smooth Snake
Coronella austriaca
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Pool Frog
Pelophylax lessonae
LC
European Tree Frog
Hyla arborea
LC
Great Crested Newt
Triturus cristatus
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Eurasian Beaver
Castor fiber
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: ~10%
All 6 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in Essen
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Grugapark, Essen
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
21Jan
24Feb
29Mar
35Apr
43May
50Jun
48Jul
49Aug
42Sep
29Oct
23Nov
22Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
19%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
344
areasWildlife spots
1
spotsZoos & centres
6
placesClimate
Oceanic
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 352
🐒 Mammals 79
🦎 Reptiles 22
🐸 Amphibians 17
470 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
24 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.6
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
65% 📊
Coverage (78 species at ≥5% of 470 in the inventory)
17% 🔀
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)
1 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
11 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.2
Climate Harsh Low
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 19% land High
Protected areas 344 High
Wildlife spots 1 Low
Zoos & centres 6 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Essen?
193 species
Essen's urban area has 193 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Great Tit (about 90%), Wood Pigeon (about 90%), Carrion Crow (about 80%), European Robin (about 80%) and Eurasian Blackbird (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Eurasian Red Squirrel (about 40%); among reptiles, Common Wall Lizard (about 30%); among amphibians, European Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Essen?
October to April
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in May to September.
Can you see a Carrion Crow in Essen?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Carrion Crow sighting in Essen on a given day, based on 595 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, June and September–December (about 90%).
Can you see a Wood Pigeon in Essen?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Pigeon sighting in Essen on a given day, based on 592 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June, August–October and December (about 90%).
Can you see a Blue Tit in Essen?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Tit sighting in Essen on a given day, based on 387 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and December (about 90%).
Is Essen good for wildlife watching?
3.6 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Essen gets 3.6/5: 308th of 380 cities worldwide and 34th in Europe. 15 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
![Rotterdam [The Hague]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/A_view_of_Rotterdam%2C_taken_from_the_roof_of_the_Maassilo%2C_Rotterdam%2C_The_Netherlands.jpg/330px-A_view_of_Rotterdam%2C_taken_from_the_roof_of_the_Maassilo%2C_Rotterdam%2C_The_Netherlands.jpg)
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