Field Guide · Regional

Wildlife in Nebraska

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

See What's Near You → All States
Birds

Birds Commonly Recorded In Nebraska

Most-recorded birds reported across the state.

  1. American Robin American Robin Turdus migratorius 2,327 records
  2. Northern Cardinal Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 1,473 records
  3. Canada Goose Branta canadensis 1,368 records
  4. House Sparrow House Sparrow Passer domesticus 1,324 records
  5. Wild Turkey Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo 1,245 records
  6. American Goldfinch American Goldfinch Spinus tristis 1,176 records
  7. Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus 1,158 records
  8. Mallard Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 1,157 records
  9. Blue Jay Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata 1,094 records
  10. Common Grackle Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula 1,066 records
  11. House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus 1,024 records
  12. Red-Tailed Hawk Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis 966 records
Plants

Plants Commonly Recorded In Nebraska

Plants observers log most often statewide.

  1. Common Milkweed Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca 911 records
  2. Hoary Vervain Hoary Vervain Verbena stricta 856 records
  3. Great Mullein Verbascum thapsus 780 records
  4. Ground-Ivy Ground-Ivy Glechoma hederacea 650 records
  5. American Pokeweed American Pokeweed Phytolacca americana 631 records
  6. Great Plains Yucca Great Plains Yucca Yucca glauca 543 records
  7. Eastern Redcedar Eastern Redcedar Juniperus virginiana 518 records
  8. Dame's Rocket Dame's Rocket Hesperis matronalis 513 records
  9. Henbit Deadnettle Henbit Deadnettle Lamium amplexicaule 493 records
  10. Upright Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columnifera 455 records
  11. Cannabis Cannabis Cannabis sativa 450 records
  12. White Clover White Clover Trifolium repens 445 records
Insects

Insects Commonly Recorded In Nebraska

The insects that turn up most in records.

  1. Monarch Monarch Danaus plexippus 2,396 records
  2. Brown-Belted Bumble Bee Brown-Belted Bumble Bee Bombus griseocollis 1,455 records
  3. Common Eastern Bumble Bee Common Eastern Bumble Bee Bombus impatiens 1,367 records
  4. Painted Lady Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 1,216 records
  5. Red Admiral Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta 1,028 records
  6. Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis 1,010 records
  7. Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes 958 records
  8. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera 933 records
  9. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus 874 records
  10. American Bumble Bee American Bumble Bee Bombus pensylvanicus 871 records
  11. Silver-Spotted Skipper Epargyreus clarus 837 records
  12. White-Lined Sphinx Hyles lineata 697 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) John D Reynolds, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John D Reynolds  ·  (c) Laura Keene, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Laura Keene  ·  (c) Ximo Galarza, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)  ·  (c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY)  ·  (c) Chris Fisher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Chris Fisher  ·  (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)  ·  (c) Josiah Reed, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Josiah Reed  ·  (c) brian stahls, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by brian stahls  ·  (c) Craig K. Hunt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Craig K. Hunt  ·  (c) csozanne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) thesnaguy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by thesnaguy  ·  (c) viktorie_kolouchova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) amkatros, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Steven Severinghaus, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)  ·  (c) Wolfgang Bacher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Wolfgang Bacher  ·  (c) Hernán A. Santibáñez G., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Hernán A. Santibáñez G.  ·  (c) Dinesh Valke, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)  ·  (c) Gennadiy Okatov, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Gennadiy Okatov  ·  (c) Virginia Rivers, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Mlodinow  ·  (c) scotstewart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by scotstewart  ·  (c) roy pilcher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by roy pilcher  ·  (c) Gilles San Martin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Gilles San Martin  ·  (c) David Alan Rogers, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by David Alan Rogers  ·  (c) Buddy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Buddy