All 4 in 3 days here: ~40%
City
Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
North America, Canada 345 spp. recorded
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the eighth-largest in North America. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal and several much smaller, peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. Wikipedia
45.538° N 73.674° W
🦜 Nature
345 Species sighted
1,110,210 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus
LC
Smooth Greensnake
Opheodrys vernalis
LC
Common Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon
LC
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Eastern Newt
Notophthalmus viridescens
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Snowshoe Hare
Lepus americanus
NT
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Antrostomus vociferus
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: ~30%
All 6 in 3 days here: ~10%
Recent sightings in Montreal
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Jardin botanique de Montréal
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Cimetières Mt-Royal & Notre-Dame-des-Neiges
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RécréoParc (Côte-Ste-Catherine)
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Technoparc Mtl · Site général
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PN de l'Île-de-la-Visitation
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Parc de l'Honorable-George-O'Reilly
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PN du Bois-de-l'île-Bizard
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
20Jan
20Feb
23Mar
37Apr
53May
68Jun
71Jul
68Aug
57Sep
40Oct
26Nov
22Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
5%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
73
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
2
placesClimate
Continental
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.9
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 423
🐒 Mammals 82
🦎 Reptiles 19
🐸 Amphibians 28
552 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
27 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.3
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
70% 📊
Coverage (113 species at ≥5% of 552 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)
2 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
18 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.7
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 5% land High
Protected areas 73 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 2 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Montreal?
345 species
Montreal's urban area has 345 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Northern Cardinal (about 90%), Black-capped Chickadee (about 80%), American Robin (about 80%), American Crow (about 80%) and Downy Woodpecker (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 70%); among reptiles, Painted Turtle (about 30%); among amphibians, American Toad (about 30%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Montreal?
April
In that month the city's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in June and December–February.
Can you see a Black-capped Chickadee in Montreal?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Black-capped Chickadee sighting in Montreal on a given day, based on 47,602 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February (over 90%).
Can you see a Northern Cardinal in Montreal?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Cardinal sighting in Montreal on a given day, based on 50,635 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December to May (about 90%).
Can you see an American Crow in Montreal?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an American Crow sighting in Montreal on a given day, based on 42,445 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and March (about 90%).
Where in Montreal is wildlife easiest to see?
Jardin botanique de Montréal
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Jardin botanique de Montréal (170 bird species recorded), followed by Cimetières Mt-Royal & Notre-Dame-des-Neiges and RécréoParc (Côte-Ste-Catherine). See them on the map.
Is Montreal good for wildlife watching?
4.2 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Montreal gets 4.2/5: 169th of 380 cities worldwide and 20th 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