KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of any country

Learn the wildlife of China

Asia

36,359 species have research-grade observations in China on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you can learn a country's wildlife from home.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis9,522
  2. Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus7,193
  3. Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis6,789
  4. Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus6,578
  5. Oriental Magpie Pica serica6,571
  6. White Wagtail Motacilla alba6,329
  7. Little Egret Egretta garzetta6,033
  8. Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis5,957
  9. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax5,809
  10. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis5,186

Plants

  1. Paper mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera2,655
  2. White clover Trifolium repens1,657
  3. Chinese Violet Cress Orychophragmus violaceus1,487
  4. Bird's-eye speedwell Veronica persica1,399
  5. Creeping Woodsorrel Oxalis corniculata1,287
  6. Mock strawberry Potentilla indica1,216
  7. Sacred Lotus Nelumbo nucifera1,115
  8. American pokeweed Phytolacca americana1,106
  9. Rough potato Cynanchum rostellatum1,060
  10. Japanese Hops Humulus scandens985

Mammals

  1. Domestic Cat Felis catus3,149
  2. Pallas' Squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus1,854
  3. Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta1,058
  4. Amur Hedgehog Erinaceus amurensis975
  5. Eurasian Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris744
  6. Tibetan Macaque Macaca thibetana693
  7. Black-lipped Pika Ochotona curzoniae625
  8. Domestic Dog Canis familiaris558
  9. Siberian Weasel Mustela sibirica533
  10. Maritime Striped Squirrel Tamiops maritimus513

Insects

  1. Asian Honey Bee Apis cerana3,837
  2. Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis3,783
  3. Titan Stag Beetle Serrognathus titanus2,868
  4. Asian Comma Polygonia c-aureum2,678
  5. Spotted Lanternfly Lycorma delicatula2,576
  6. Giant Asian Mantis Hierodula patellifera2,388
  7. Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Papilio xuthus2,368
  8. Common Mormon Swallowtail Papilio polytes2,248
  9. Common Bluebottle Graphium sarpedon2,140
  10. Tropical Fritillary Argynnis hyperbius2,019

Spiders and kin

  1. Joro Spider Trichonephila clavata1,817
  2. Giant Golden Orbweaver Nephila pilipes1,207
  3. Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi471

Reptiles

  1. Wang’s Garden Lizard Calotes wangi1,775
  2. Chinese Green Tree Viper Trimeresurus stejnegeri1,412
  3. Red-banded Snake Lycodon rufozonatus1,170
  4. Many-banded Krait Bungarus multicinctus908
  5. China Grass Lizard Takydromus septentrionalis879
  6. Brown spotted pitviper Protobothrops mucrosquamatus855
  7. Peking Gecko Gekko swinhonis843
  8. Pond Slider Trachemys scripta840
  9. Chinese Green Snake Ptyas major805
  10. White-lipped Pit Viper Trimeresurus albolabris739

Amphibians

  1. Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizans5,492
  2. Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus2,419
  3. Black-spotted Frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus2,057
  4. East Asian Ornate Chorus Frog Microhyla fissipes1,455
  5. Chinese Flying Frog Zhangixalus dennysi987
  6. Taiwan Whipping Frog Polypedates braueri986
  7. Spot-legged Tree Frog Polypedates megacephalus981
  8. Tianmu Sharp-nosed Frog Odorrana tianmuii967
  9. Asian Painted Frog Kaloula pulchra936
  10. Guenther's Frog Hylarana guentheri779

Fish

  1. Goldfish Carassius auratus724
  2. Amur Goby Rhinogobius similis620
  3. Topmouth Gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva563
  4. Great Blue-spotted Mudskipper Boleophthalmus pectinirostris508
  5. Sharpbelly Hemiculter leucisculus493
  6. Amur Carp Cyprinus rubrofuscus492
  7. Chinese Hooksnout Carp Opsariichthys bidens422

Mollusks

  1. Arboreal Snail Megaustenia imperator883
  2. Chinese Slug Meghimatium bilineatum812
  3. Giant Blonde Snail Lissachatina immaculata804
  4. African Giant Snail Lissachatina fulica783
  5. Asian Tramp Snail Bradybaena similaris747
  6. Acusta ravida629

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.