All 6 in 3 days here: <5%
City
Salt Lake City
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 323 spp. recorded
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. It is also part of the larger Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo combined statistical area. Wikipedia
40.655° N 111.949° W
🦜 Nature
323 Species sighted
206,174 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Greater Short-horned Lizard
Phrynosoma hernandesi
LC
Mediterranean House Gecko
Hemidactylus turcicus
LC
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
LC
Rough-tailed Gecko
Cyrtopodion scabrum
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Woodhouse's Toad
Anaxyrus woodhousii
LC
Boreal Chorus Frog
Pseudacris maculata
LC
Pacific chorus frog
Pseudacris regilla
LC
Cuban Treefrog
Osteopilus septentrionalis
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
LC
Mediterranean House Gecko
Hemidactylus turcicus
American Bison
Bison bison
LC
Rough-tailed Gecko
Cyrtopodion scabrum
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Salt Lake City
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Big Cottonwood Park
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University of Utah Campus
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Jordan River Parkway
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Salt Lake City Cemetery
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Tracy Aviary's Jordan River Nature Center
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Jordan River Parkway--6100 S to 7800 S (incl. Winchester Park)
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Jordan River Parkway--2100 S to 3300 S
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Jordan River Parkway--4500 S to 5400 S (incl. Arrowhead Park)
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
22Jan
22Feb
26Mar
32Apr
36May
39Jun
37Jul
39Aug
37Sep
33Oct
26Nov
24Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Medium
Protected land
0.2%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
15
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Cold semi-arid
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
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
5.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 411
🐒 Mammals 167
🦎 Reptiles 35
🐸 Amphibians 15
628 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
37 Threatened 14 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
66% 📊
Coverage (83 species at ≥5% of 628 in the inventory)
13% 🔀
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%)
15 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.7
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Medium Medium
Protected land & sea 0.2% land Low
Protected areas 15 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Salt Lake City?
323 species
Salt Lake City's urban area has 323 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are House Finch (about 80%), American Robin (about 80%), Fox Squirrel (about 80%), Black-capped Chickadee (about 70%) and Song Sparrow (about 70%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (about 30%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Salt Lake City?
March–June and September–December
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in January–February and July–August.
Can you see a Fox Squirrel in Salt Lake City?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Fox Squirrel sighting in Salt Lake City on a given day, based on 2,134 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September to April (about 80%).
Can you see a Black-capped Chickadee in Salt Lake City?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Black-capped Chickadee sighting in Salt Lake City on a given day, based on 9,395 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September (about 90%).
Can you see a Black-billed Magpie in Salt Lake City?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-billed Magpie sighting in Salt Lake City on a given day, based on 5,996 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January and November (about 70%).
Where in Salt Lake City is wildlife easiest to see?
Big Cottonwood Park
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Big Cottonwood Park (124 bird species recorded), followed by University of Utah Campus and Jordan River Parkway. See them on the map.
Is Salt Lake City good for wildlife watching?
4.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Salt Lake City gets 4.3/5: 162nd of 380 cities worldwide and 19th in North America. 17 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