All 5 in 3 days here: >90%
City
Manchester
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Europe, United Kingdom 234 spp. recorded
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in North West England, at the centre of the eponymous county of Greater Manchester. Wikipedia
53.486° N 2.306° W
🦜 Nature
234 Species sighted
186,687 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Common Pipistrelle
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
LC
Least Weasel
Mustela nivalis
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
barred grass snake
Natrix helvetica
LC
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
LC
Ouachita Map Turtle
Graptemys ouachitensis
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Great Crested Newt
Triturus cristatus
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
All 6 in 3 days here: ~40%
All 7 in 3 days here: ~30%
Recent sightings in Manchester
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Audenshaw Reservoirs
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Cutacre Country Park
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Moses Gate Country Park and LNR
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Stretford Ees
-
Carrington Moss
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Chorlton Water Park LNR
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Davyhulme Millennium NR
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
32Jan
36Feb
47Mar
60Apr
65May
75Jun
79Jul
75Aug
65Sep
49Oct
40Nov
34Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
2%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
68
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
2
placesClimate
Oceanic
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
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 315
🐒 Mammals 51
🦎 Reptiles 12
🐸 Amphibians 8
386 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
11 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
5.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
79% 📊
Coverage (102 species at ≥5% of 386 in the inventory)
26% 🔀
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%)
33 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.0
Climate Harsh Low
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 2% land Medium
Protected areas 68 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 2 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Manchester?
234 species
Manchester's urban area has 234 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Eurasian Magpie (about 90%), Wood Pigeon (about 90%), European Robin (about 90%), Carrion Crow (about 90%) and Eurasian Blackbird (about 90%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 70%); among reptiles, Pond Slider (about 20%); among amphibians, European Common Frog (about 50%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Manchester?
Any time of year
Wildlife is about as easy to see all year: the city's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day in every month with enough records.
Can you see a Carrion Crow in Manchester?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Carrion Crow sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 6,322 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April–September and November–January (about 90%).
Can you see a Dunnock in Manchester?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Dunnock sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 4,330 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–June and October (about 70%).
Can you see an Eastern Gray Squirrel in Manchester?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Gray Squirrel sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 534 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September to November (about 80%).
Where in Manchester is wildlife easiest to see?
Elton Reservoir
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Elton Reservoir (158 bird species recorded), followed by Sale Water Park and Audenshaw Reservoirs. See them on the map.
Is Manchester good for wildlife watching?
4.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Manchester gets 4.3/5: 149th of 380 cities worldwide and 5th in Europe. 36 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