KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of any country

Learn the wildlife of the United States

North & Central America

100,248 species have research-grade observations in the United States 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. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos412,551
  2. Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias362,123
  3. American Robin Turdus migratorius338,949
  4. Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis316,647
  5. Canada Goose Branta canadensis311,944
  6. Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis286,914
  7. House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus247,278
  8. Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura246,809
  9. Great Egret Ardea alba222,588
  10. House Sparrow Passer domesticus220,744

Plants

  1. American pokeweed Phytolacca americana156,002
  2. Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca138,783
  3. Eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans130,486
  4. Great mullein Verbascum thapsus124,460
  5. Common yarrow Achillea millefolium123,891
  6. White clover Trifolium repens118,185
  7. Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata110,309
  8. Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia108,780
  9. Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum107,390
  10. Creosote Bush Larrea tridentata101,556

Mammals

  1. White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus330,212
  2. Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis293,318
  3. Eastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger163,212
  4. Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus160,583
  5. Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus148,406
  6. Common Raccoon Procyon lotor138,025
  7. Coyote Canis latrans104,537
  8. Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus76,070
  9. Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana62,721
  10. California Ground Squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi60,709

Insects

  1. Monarch Danaus plexippus402,791
  2. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera383,248
  3. Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis267,360
  4. Common Eastern Bumble Bee Bombus impatiens260,985
  5. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus164,328
  6. Gulf Fritillary Dione vanillae152,003
  7. Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis150,567
  8. Eastern Pondhawk Erythemis simplicicollis135,848
  9. Eastern Carpenter Bee Xylocopa virginica130,521
  10. Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes117,262

Spiders and kin

  1. Bold Jumping Spider Phidippus audax112,166
  2. Yellow Garden Spider Argiope aurantia100,286
  3. Tan Jumping Spider Platycryptus undatus51,673
  4. Spotted Orbweaver Neoscona crucifera42,184
  5. Orchard Orbweaver Leucauge venusta41,437
  6. American Nursery Web Spider Pisaurina mira36,438
  7. Cross Orbweaver Araneus diadematus33,977

Reptiles

  1. Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis198,557
  2. Pond Slider Trachemys scripta180,928
  3. Green Anole Anolis carolinensis150,234
  4. Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis143,511
  5. Brown Anole Anolis sagrei139,567
  6. Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta114,819
  7. Common Box Turtle Terrapene carolina107,554
  8. American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis100,996
  9. Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina89,479
  10. Common Side-blotched Lizard Uta stansburiana83,656

Amphibians

  1. American Toad Anaxyrus americanus157,565
  2. American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus117,187
  3. Green Frog Lithobates clamitans108,622
  4. Eastern Newt Notophthalmus viridescens77,088
  5. Eastern Red-backed Salamander Plethodon cinereus75,446
  6. Pacific chorus frog Pseudacris regilla74,069
  7. Green Treefrog Dryophytes cinereus61,826
  8. Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer50,046
  9. Wood Frog Lithobates sylvaticus47,927
  10. Gulf Coast Toad Incilius nebulifer45,624

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.