Field Guide · Regional

Wildlife in South Dakota

The birds, plants, and insects most often recorded in South Dakota. 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 South Dakota

Most-recorded birds reported across the state.

  1. American Robin American Robin Turdus migratorius 977 records
  2. Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta 810 records
  3. Canada Goose Branta canadensis 799 records
  4. Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus 751 records
  5. Mallard Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 688 records
  6. Wild Turkey Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo 637 records
  7. Bald Eagle Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus 587 records
  8. Mountain Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides 511 records
  9. Red-Tailed Hawk Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis 500 records
  10. Barn Swallow Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 494 records
  11. Turkey Vulture Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura 442 records
  12. Common Grackle Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula 440 records
Plants

Plants Commonly Recorded In South Dakota

Plants observers log most often statewide.

  1. Hoary Vervain Hoary Vervain Verbena stricta 792 records
  2. Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine Pinus scopulorum 774 records
  3. Leadplant Leadplant Amorpha canescens 768 records
  4. Plains Pricklypear Plains Pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha 747 records
  5. Great Mullein Verbascum thapsus 742 records
  6. Field Bindweed Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis 702 records
  7. Upright Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columnifera 670 records
  8. Smooth Brome Smooth Brome Bromus inermis 653 records
  9. Wild Bergamot Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa 629 records
  10. Common Milkweed Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca 626 records
  11. Scarlet Globemallow Scarlet Globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea 623 records
  12. Creeping Thistle Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense 621 records
Insects

Insects Commonly Recorded In South Dakota

The insects that turn up most in records.

  1. Brown-Belted Bumble Bee Brown-Belted Bumble Bee Bombus griseocollis 770 records
  2. Monarch Monarch Danaus plexippus 643 records
  3. American Bumble Bee American Bumble Bee Bombus pensylvanicus 496 records
  4. Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis 459 records
  5. Red Admiral Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta 385 records
  6. Painted Lady Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 354 records
  7. Two-Spotted Bumble Bee Two-Spotted Bumble Bee Bombus bimaculatus 354 records
  8. Common Eastern Bumble Bee Common Eastern Bumble Bee Bombus impatiens 339 records
  9. Eastern Boxelder Bug Eastern Boxelder Bug Boisea trivittata 312 records
  10. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus 299 records
  11. White-Lined Sphinx Hyles lineata 276 records
  12. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera 254 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) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)  ·  (c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY)  ·  (c) Glenn Perelson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Glenn Perelson  ·  (c) christrent, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Craig K. Hunt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Craig K. Hunt  ·  (c) Ad Konings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ad Konings  ·  (c) Seig, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Seig  ·  (c) brian stahls, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by brian stahls  ·  (c) thesnaguy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by thesnaguy  ·  (c) Steve Harbula, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steve Harbula  ·  (c) Sadie Hickey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sadie Hickey  ·  (c) Michael John Oldham, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Michael John Oldham  ·  (c) vivienratcliffe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Jeremy Graves, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jeremy Graves  ·  (c) ziggymom, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) csozanne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Lena Zappia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Lena Zappia  ·  (c) Adja Gaye, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Adja Gaye  ·  (c) Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Mlodinow  ·  (c) Virginia Rivers, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Buddy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Buddy  ·  (c) Gilles San Martin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Gilles San Martin  ·  (c) roy pilcher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by roy pilcher  ·  (c) larrytip, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by larrytip  ·  (c) scotstewart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by scotstewart  ·  (c) Erik Danielsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erik Danielsen  ·  (c) David Alan Rogers, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by David Alan Rogers