City
Shanghai
🇨🇳 China
Asia, China 354 spp. recorded
Shanghai is a provincial-level direct-administered municipality in China. The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River bisecting the city. Wikipedia
31.200° N 121.427° E
🦜 Nature
354 Species sighted
66,398 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Coypu
Myocastor coypus
LC
Masked Palm Civet
Paguma larvata
EN
European Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Big-Eyed Ratsnake
Ptyas dhumnades
LC
Chinese Skink
Plestiodon chinensis
LC
Florida Softshell Turtle
Apalone ferox
LC
Modest Ground Skink
Scincella modesta
LC
Florida Redbelly Turtle
Pseudemys nelsoni
LC
Indian Forest Skink
Sphenomorphus indicus
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Zhenhai Brown Frog
Rana zhenhaiensis
LC
Chinese Tree Toad
Hyla chinensis
LC
Hong Kong Rice-paddy Frog
Fejervarya multistriata
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Recent sightings in Shanghai
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Pudong Jinhai Wetland Park
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Shanghai Botanical Garden
-
Wusong Cannon Bay Wetland Park
-
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
25Jan
24Feb
26Mar
29Apr
32May
34Jun
39Jul
37Aug
37Sep
34Oct
30Nov
26Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Medium
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
3
placesClimate
Humid subtropical
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?
4.6
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 545
🐒 Mammals 103
🦎 Reptiles 64
🐸 Amphibians 20
732 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
61 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.7
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
70% 📊
Coverage (82 species at ≥5% of 732 in the inventory)
11% 🔀
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)
0 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
15 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.5
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Medium Medium
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 3 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Shanghai?
354 species
Shanghai's urban area has 354 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Chinese Blackbird (about 90%), Light-vented Bulbul (about 90%), Pearl-necked Dove (about 90%), Long-tailed Shrike (about 80%) and Oriental Magpie-Robin (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Pallas's Squirrel (about 30%); among reptiles, Pond Slider (about 20%); among amphibians, Asiatic Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Shanghai?
Any time of year
Wildlife is about as easy to see all year: the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day in every month with enough records.
Can you see a Chinese Blackbird in Shanghai?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Blackbird sighting in Shanghai on a given day, based on 3,778 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May and July (over 90%).
Can you see a Light-vented Bulbul in Shanghai?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Light-vented Bulbul sighting in Shanghai on a given day, based on 3,894 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and July (over 90%).
Can you see an Azure-winged Magpie in Shanghai?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an Azure-winged Magpie sighting in Shanghai on a given day, based on 2,057 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June (about 70%).
Where in Shanghai is wildlife easiest to see?
Century Park
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Century Park (171 bird species recorded), followed by Pudong Jinhai Wetland Park and Shanghai Botanical Garden. See them on the map.
Is Shanghai good for wildlife watching?
4.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Shanghai gets 4.0/5: 244th of 380 cities worldwide and 101st in Asia. 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