Field Guide · Regional

Wildlife in Minnesota

The birds, plants, and insects most often recorded in Minnesota. A starting field list, drawn from iNaturalist research-grade observations, for what is likely living near you.

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Birds

Birds Commonly Recorded In Minnesota

Most-recorded birds reported across the state.

  1. Mallard Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 9,357 records
  2. Canada Goose Branta canadensis 7,502 records
  3. American Robin American Robin Turdus migratorius 6,749 records
  4. Bald Eagle Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus 6,460 records
  5. Wild Turkey Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo 5,787 records
  6. Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus 5,710 records
  7. Black-Capped Chickadee Black-Capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus 4,991 records
  8. Northern Cardinal Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 4,927 records
  9. Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens 4,875 records
  10. American Goldfinch American Goldfinch Spinus tristis 4,606 records
  11. Wood Duck Wood Duck Aix sponsa 4,185 records
  12. Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator 4,171 records
Plants

Plants Commonly Recorded In Minnesota

Plants observers log most often statewide.

  1. Bloodroot Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis 5,350 records
  2. Common Milkweed Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca 5,287 records
  3. Common Buckthorn Common Buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica 5,115 records
  4. Jack-In-The-Pulpit Jack-In-The-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum 4,880 records
  5. Great Mullein Verbascum thapsus 4,618 records
  6. Virginia Waterleaf Virginia Waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum 4,336 records
  7. Box Elder Box Elder Acer negundo 4,158 records
  8. Wild Bergamot Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa 4,040 records
  9. Common Motherwort Common Motherwort Leonurus cardiaca 4,014 records
  10. Common Yarrow Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium 4,013 records
  11. Bird's-Foot Trefoil Bird's-Foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus 3,831 records
  12. Red Columbine Red Columbine Aquilegia canadensis 3,770 records
Insects

Insects Commonly Recorded In Minnesota

The insects that turn up most in records.

  1. Common Eastern Bumble Bee Common Eastern Bumble Bee Bombus impatiens 15,883 records
  2. Monarch Monarch Danaus plexippus 9,076 records
  3. Brown-Belted Bumble Bee Brown-Belted Bumble Bee Bombus griseocollis 8,194 records
  4. Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis 5,547 records
  5. Two-Spotted Bumble Bee Two-Spotted Bumble Bee Bombus bimaculatus 5,267 records
  6. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera 4,563 records
  7. Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee Bombus auricomus 3,777 records
  8. Red-Belted Bumble Bee Bombus rufocinctus 3,234 records
  9. Goldenrod Soldier Beetle Goldenrod Soldier Beetle Chauliognathus pensylvanicus 3,183 records
  10. Isabella Tiger Moth Isabella Tiger Moth Pyrrharctia isabella 3,043 records
  11. Northern Paper Wasp Northern Paper Wasp Polistes fuscatus 2,924 records
  12. Red Admiral Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta 2,869 records

Go Deeper

Use the live finder to narrow this to your town and season. Then read Who Lives Here, how to attract wildlife to your yard, and planting for local wildlife. For tools and field guides, see the recommended gear.

Photographs via iNaturalist contributors, used under their Creative Commons licenses: (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)  ·  (c) John D Reynolds, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John D Reynolds  ·  (c) Glenn Perelson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Glenn Perelson  ·  (c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY)  ·  (c) Kent Ross, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kent Ross  ·  (c) Laura Keene, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Laura Keene  ·  (c) Chris Fisher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Chris Fisher  ·  (c) Haley Selen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Haley Selen  ·  (c) csozanne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Robert Flogaus-Faust, some rights reserved (CC BY)  ·  (c) Jason Hollinger, some rights reserved (CC BY)  ·  (c) Gordilly, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)  ·  (c) thewindcriesmary, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) ziggymom, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) AnneTanne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Steve Guttman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)  ·  (c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)  ·  (c) Sadie Hickey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sadie Hickey  ·  (c) scotstewart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by scotstewart  ·  (c) Virginia Rivers, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Mlodinow  ·  (c) larrytip, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by larrytip  ·  (c) Mark Nofsinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mark Nofsinger  ·  (c) Wildreturn, some rights reserved (CC BY)  ·  (c) Larry Clarfeld, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Larry Clarfeld  ·  (c) Alex Shure, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Alex Shure  ·  (c) Gilles San Martin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Gilles San Martin