All 4 in 3 days here: ~20%
City
Salem
🇮🇳 India
Asia, India 185 spp. recorded
Salem is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Thirumanimutharu River and surrounded by the Eastern Ghats. Wikipedia
11.657° N 78.123° E
🦜 Nature
185 Species sighted
80,997 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Sep Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Indian Palm Squirrel
Funambulus palmarum
VU Endemic
Bonnet Macaque
Macaca radiata
NT
Indian Flying Fox
Pteropus medius
LC
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Dhaman
Ptyas mucosa
LC
Loos Snake
Oligodon taeniolatus
LC
Bark Gecko
Hemidactylus leschenaultii
Common Bamboo Viper
Craspedocephalus gramineus
Russell's Wolf Snake
Lycodon fasciolatus
Ahaetulla oxyrhyncha
Ahaetulla oxyrhyncha
LC
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
NT
Bengal Monitor
Varanus bengalensis
LC
Russell's Viper
Daboia russelii
LC
Bronze Grass Skink
Eutropis macularia
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Common skittering frog
Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis
LC
Chunam Tree Frog
Polypedates maculatus
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Salem
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Kannankurichi Mookaneri Tank கன்னங்குறிச்சி மூக்கனேரி
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
House Crow~90%-10%
White-throated Kingfisher~90%+20%
Oriental Garden Lizard~90%+50%
Rose-ringed Parakeet~80%≈
Asian Koel~80%+30%
Keeled Indian Mabuya~50%+30%
Common skittering frog~40%+30%
Ahaetulla oxyrhyncha~40%+30%
-
Salem Central Bus Terminus (New Bus Stand)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Salem Railway Junction
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
29Jan
36Feb
28Mar
29Apr
33May
37Jun
34Jul
32Aug
38Sep
34Oct
35Nov
35Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Medium
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
3
spotsZoos & centres
0
placesClimate
Tropical savanna
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
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
4.8
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 440
🐒 Mammals 86
🦎 Reptiles 105
🐸 Amphibians 24
655 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
37 Threatened 23 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.8
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
62% 📊
Coverage (98 species at ≥5% of 655 in the inventory)
15% 🔀
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)
2 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
14 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.5
Climate Pleasant High
Green cover Medium Medium
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 3 Medium
Zoos & centres 0 Low
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Salem?
185 species
Salem's urban area has 185 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are House Crow (over 90%), Rose-ringed Parakeet (about 80%), Black Drongo (about 70%), Large-billed Crow (about 70%) and White-throated Kingfisher (about 60%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Oriental Garden Lizard (about 40%); among amphibians, Common Indian Toad (about 20%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Salem?
February
In that month the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in March to January. That is one of Salem's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 160 mm in October.
Can you see a Yellow-billed Babbler in Salem?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Babbler sighting in Salem on a given day, based on 5,229 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, June, October and December (about 70%).
Can you see a House Crow in Salem?
Yes
Over 90% of wildlife watchers report a House Crow sighting in Salem on a given day, based on 12,645 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May–October and December–January (over 90%).
Can you see a Large-billed Crow in Salem?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Large-billed Crow sighting in Salem on a given day, based on 3,783 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and July (about 80%).
Where in Salem is wildlife easiest to see?
Kannankurichi Mookaneri Tank கன்னங்குறிச்சி மூக்கனேரி
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Kannankurichi Mookaneri Tank கன்னங்குறிச்சி மூக்கனேரி (100 bird species recorded), followed by Salem Central Bus Terminus (New Bus Stand) and Salem Railway Junction. See them on the map.
Is Salem good for wildlife watching?
4.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Salem gets 4.0/5: 209th of 380 cities worldwide and 89th in Asia. 18 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