City
San Francisco
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 501 spp. recorded
San Francisco is the fourth-most populous city in California and the second most-populous in the Bay Area. San Francisco is a global center for technology and finance, and is well-known for its affluence, eclectic architecture, and mild climate. Wikipedia
37.610° N 122.131° W
🦜 Nature
501 Species sighted
3,015,921 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Green Treefrog
Dryophytes cinereus
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Recent sightings in San Francisco
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Golden Gate Park · North Lake
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Charleston Slough/Coast Casey Forebay
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MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline · Arrowhead Marsh
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Arboretum (San Francisco Botanical Garden)
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Pine Lake Park & Stern Grove
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Shoreline Park · Shoreline Lake area
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South Richmond Marshes (Stege, Hoffman) and Meeker Slough
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Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
42Jan
43Feb
48Mar
54Apr
51May
51Jun
48Jul
50Aug
53Sep
51Oct
45Nov
43Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
2%
Protected sea
0.2%
Protected areas
41
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
8
placesClimate
Mediterranean
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 673
🐒 Mammals 212
🦎 Reptiles 91
🐸 Amphibians 24
1000 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
98 Threatened 33 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.8
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
58% 📊
Coverage (146 species at ≥5% of 1000 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)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
14 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.8
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea 2% land · 0.2% sea Medium
Protected areas 41 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 8 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in San Francisco?
501 species
San Francisco's urban area has 501 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are American Crow (about 80%), Anna's Hummingbird (about 80%), House Finch (about 70%), Black Phoebe (about 70%) and California Towhee (about 60%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 30%); among reptiles, Western Fence Lizard (about 30%); among amphibians, California Slender Salamander (about 20%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in San Francisco?
September to June
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 60% on a given day, against about 50% in July and August.
Can you see a California Towhee in San Francisco?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a California Towhee sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 75,934 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April to September (about 70%).
Can you see an Anna's Hummingbird in San Francisco?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an Anna's Hummingbird sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 100,100 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September–October and December–May (about 80%).
Can you see a Chestnut-backed Chickadee in San Francisco?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-backed Chickadee sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 61,268 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September (about 70%).
Where in San Francisco is wildlife easiest to see?
Golden Gate Park · North Lake
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Golden Gate Park · North Lake (173 bird species recorded), followed by Palo Alto Baylands and Charleston Slough/Coast Casey Forebay. See them on the map.
Is San Francisco good for wildlife watching?
4.1 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, San Francisco gets 4.1/5: 200th of 380 cities worldwide and 27th in North America. 23 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