Wildlife in the Grand Canyon

Birds

Birdwatchers will be delighted when they visit the Grand Canyon, where there are about three hundred species of birds, including the areas surrounding the Canyon. The Grand Canyon encompasses a myriad of diverse vegetation levels, as you go up and down in elevation. This means the types of vegetation and climate conditions...heat and humidity to begin with, will vary from zone to zone. This means the types of bird found at each level will vary as well. So, depending on where you go in the Grand Canyon, you will find different species of birds. The same goes for time of year. Depending on time of year, there will be fewer or more birds, and different birds as well. Bird experts can guide you on where to go in the Grand Canyon to see specific types of birds. Guides will point you to, for example, spots in the Grand Canyon with more water, where birds will congregate. They may also piont you to areas with more diversity of vegetation because you are more likely to find more species of birds at these types of spots, too. In the Grand Canyon, this means heading for ponds, springs, and streams in the Canyon. Birds also like cover, so places like meadows and areas with shrubby plants will be good places to look as well. And then there is bird-wtching along the rim of hte Grand Canyon. Below are some descriptions of some of the birds you are most likely to spot form the rims of the Grand Canyon.

Birds in the Grand Canyon

White-throated swifts cruise along the airways, visible from the south and north rim of the Grand Canyon. Like swallows, the white-throated swifts catch insects on the wing, so they swoop around in energetic patterns through the air. Some people call the swifts flying cigars because of their shape. The tail is about the same size as the head so they look like cigars. Vultures are everywhere in the Grand Canyon, searching for food down below. You know when you see a vulture because of its size, and because of the way it flies. Its wings are held in a V-pattern and they wobble in the currents.

Chickadees Pygmy Nuthatches white-breasted nuthatches Eagles Steller's Jays Pinyon Jays Black-chinned hummingbirds Canyon Wren Ravens

Mammals

Mammals in the Grand Canyon

Kaibab Squirrels have showy white tails and are lots of fun to watch. They live amongst the Ponderosa Pine, which is most prevaleant on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Don't confuse them with their cousins, the Albert Squirrels, who don't have the fancy white tails and are found mostly on the South Rim. White-footed Mice are very common in the Grand Canyon, but at the same time they're hard to spot because they are nocturnal and shy. Make it easier on yourself and look for squirrels and chipmunks instead, if you like small canyon critters. They are everywhere, and there are five apecies of them down in the Grand Canyon: deer mice, bursh mice, pinyon mice, cactus mice and canoy mice. Campers in the Grand Canyon know the mice well, because they come out at night and bother anyone who's trying to camp. Chipmunks and easy to see at the Grand Canyon, and unfortunately they even beg for scraps from tourists. there are Uinta chipmunks and cliff chipmunks at both rims. Don't feed them, though Mountain Lions are seen regularly, in the rocky areas on the rim or in side canyons of the Grand Canyon. If you're on the North rim after some snow, you might find mountain lion tracks in the fresh snow. Coyotes & Bobcats are in the Grand Canyon, and you can look for coyotes in meadows on the North Rim. Porcupines are found in the trees, usually ponderosa pine forests, and they are nocturnal. Listen for their crying sounds at night. Mule Deer roam in little groups throught the Grand Canyon. You might even see them near areas where tourism development is dense. Elk can be seen on the South Rim sometimes, and they also live on the North Rim. Spot them in the morning. Bighorn Shiip are common near the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Even hikers along the much-traveled Bright Angel Trial frequently see Bighorn sheep, which by the way are the original creators of the trail itself.

Reptiles & Amphibians

Reptiles in the Grand Canyon

Desert Striped Whipsnakes are most commonly seen in side canyons of the Grand Canyon. They are brownish-green and long and thin. Hikers see them often because they hunt for lizards during the day. They don't seem to be that shy, either. Western Collared Lizards are easy to spot. They live south of the river in the Grand Canyon, and can get to just over two feet long. Its name comes from the collar around its neck, a double ring of black on its otherwise speckled back. Chuckwallas are kind of ugly and strange looking because of the seemingly excess skin they have on their bodies. Their skin isn't bright colored or bright and pretty in any way, but its wrinkly strange skin does serve a purpose, however. When they need to look larger and more threatening, they blow up full of air, enlarging to fill the excess skin. They do thig bewteen two rocks in a crevice, so as to wedge themselves in. Then the enemy can't pry them out because the chuckwalla has gotten himself deliberately stuck between two rocks. Eastern Fence Lizards Northern Whiptails Mountain Short-Horned Lizards Sonoran Gopher Snake