All 3 in 3 days here: <5%
City
Mesa
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 391 spp. recorded
Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is the third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix and Tucson. It is the most populous city in the East Valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Wikipedia
33.347° N 111.848° W
🦜 Nature
391 Species sighted
563,872 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Sep Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Great Plains Toad
Anaxyrus cognatus
LC
Cuban Treefrog
Osteopilus septentrionalis
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Mesa
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch
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Higley and Ocotillo Rds. ponds
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Gilbert and Chandler Heights Rds. pond
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South Mountain Park · Pima Canyon Trail
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Tempe Town Lake · Tempe Beach Park
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
43Jan
46Feb
49Mar
53Apr
51May
50Jun
44Jul
47Aug
54Sep
52Oct
48Nov
43Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Hot desert
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?
4.7
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 495
🐒 Mammals 102
🦎 Reptiles 96
🐸 Amphibians 23
716 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
20 Threatened 12 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
78% 📊
Coverage (130 species at ≥5% of 716 in the inventory)
18% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🌟
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%)
29 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.1
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Mesa?
391 species
Mesa's urban area has 391 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Mourning Dove (about 90%), Great-tailed Grackle (about 90%), Anna's Hummingbird (about 80%), Verdin (about 80%) and Northern Mockingbird (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Desert Cottontail (about 60%); among reptiles, Pond Slider (about 40%); among amphibians, Woodhouse's Toad (about 20%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Mesa?
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 Gila Woodpecker in Mesa?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Gila Woodpecker sighting in Mesa on a given day, based on 15,738 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June (about 90%).
Can you see an Abert's Towhee in Mesa?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an Abert's Towhee sighting in Mesa on a given day, based on 14,497 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see a Verdin in Mesa?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Verdin sighting in Mesa on a given day, based on 16,468 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April–July and October (about 90%).
Where in Mesa is wildlife easiest to see?
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch (263 bird species recorded), followed by ASU Main Campus and Higley and Ocotillo Rds. ponds. See them on the map.
Is Mesa good for wildlife watching?
4.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Mesa gets 4.8/5: 19th of 380 cities worldwide and 1st in North America. 39 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
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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