KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of the U.S. national parks

Learn the wildlife of Kings Canyon National Park

CA

1,224 species have research-grade observations inside Kings Canyon National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

Start this trip in KnowKi →
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. Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri131
  2. White-headed Woodpecker Leuconotopicus albolarvatus128
  3. Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis106
  4. Sooty Grouse Dendragapus fuliginosus102
  5. Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca75
  6. American Robin Turdus migratorius72
  7. Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata59
  8. Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana43
  9. Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli43
  10. Brown Creeper Certhia americana42

Plants

  1. Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum807
  2. California incense-cedar Calocedrus decurrens221
  3. Snowplant Sarcodes sanguinea211
  4. California black oak Quercus kelloggii196
  5. Woodland pinedrops Pterospora andromedea195
  6. Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus192
  7. Leichtlin's Mariposa Lily Calochortus leichtlinii179
  8. Mountain Pride Penstemon newberryi178
  9. Sierra Nevada Sky Pilot Polemonium eximium166
  10. Common bracken Pteridium aquilinum156

Mammals

  1. Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus388
  2. American Black Bear Ursus americanus230
  3. Yellow-bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris201
  4. Douglas's Squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii175
  5. American Pika Ochotona princeps130
  6. Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Callospermophilus lateralis102
  7. California Ground Squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi76
  8. Western Gray Squirrel Sciurus griseus63
  9. Lodgepole Chipmunk Neotamias speciosus45
  10. Belding's Ground Squirrel Urocitellus beldingi17

Insects

  1. California Sister Adelpha californica74
  2. Pale Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon59
  3. Convergent Lady Beetle Hippodamia convergens56
  4. White-spotted Sawyer Monochamus scutellatus51
  5. Yellow-faced Bumble Bee Bombus vosnesenskii47
  6. Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquini26
  7. Western Black Carpenter Ant Camponotus modoc25
  8. Western Carpenter Bee Xylocopa californica22
  9. Douglas-fir tussock moth Orgyia pseudotsugata21
  10. Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus18

Spiders and kin

  1. Western Forest Scorpion Uroctonus mordax11
  2. Northern Scorpion Paruroctonus boreus6
  3. California Flattened Jumping Spider Platycryptus californicus5
  4. Koch's Wolf Spider Alopecosa kochi4

Reptiles

  1. Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis155
  2. Common Sagebrush Lizard Sceloporus graciosus109
  3. Western Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus91
  4. California Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis zonata73
  5. Northern Alligator Lizard Elgaria coerulea48
  6. Sierra Garter Snake Thamnophis couchii46
  7. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans34
  8. Northern Rubber Boa Charina bottae22
  9. Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer14
  10. Southern Alligator Lizard Elgaria multicarinata14

Amphibians

  1. Pacific chorus frog Pseudacris regilla75
  2. Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Rana sierrae63
  3. Ensatina Ensatina eschscholtzii15
  4. Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus13
  5. Western Toad Anaxyrus boreas7
  6. Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog Rana muscosa4

Fish

  1. Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis37
  2. Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss35
  3. Golden Trout Oncorhynchus aguabonita35
  4. Brown Trout Salmo trutta11

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.

Start this trip in KnowKi →

Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.