This is a list of animals I have personally seen alive in their natural habitat and was able to identify (to some extant). Unless otherwise mentioned, I first saw the animal in Michigan.
Amphibians
Annelids
Birds
Common Name |
Nomenclature |
Photos |
Notes
|
Blackbird, Red-winged |
Agelaius phoeniceus |
|
Female, male
|
Bluebird, Eastern |
Sialia sialis |
|
Female, male
|
Cardinal, Northern |
Cardinalis cardinalis |
|
Female, male
|
Chickadee, Black-capped |
Poecile atricapillus |
|
|
Cowbird, Brown-headed |
Molothrus ater |
|
|
Crane, Sandhill |
Grus canadensis |
32x32px |
Female, male, hatchlings
|
Crow, American |
Corvus brachyrhynchos |
|
|
Dove, Mourning |
Zenaida macroura |
|
Adult, hatchlings
|
Dove, Rock |
Columba livia |
|
|
Duck, Wood |
Aix sponsa |
|
Female adult, male/female juvenile
|
Eagle, Bald |
Haliaeetus leucocephalus |
|
|
Egret, Great |
Ardea alba |
|
|
Finch, American Gold |
Carduelis tristis |
|
Female, male
|
Goose, Canada |
Branta canadensis |
|
Female, male, hatchling, fledgling
|
Grackle, Common |
Quiscalus quiscula |
|
Female, male
|
Grackle, Great-tailed |
Quiscalus mexicanus |
32x32px |
Seen in New Mexico and Quintana Roo, Mexico.
|
Gull, American Herring |
Larus smithsonianus |
|
|
Gull, Common |
Larus canus |
|
|
Gull, Laughing |
Leucophaeus atricilla |
|
Alternate plumage. Seen in the Bahamas.
|
Hawk, Broad-winged |
Buteo platypterus |
|
|
Heron, Great Blue |
Ardea herodias |
|
Dark form
|
Hummingbird |
Trochilidae |
|
Seen several, couldn't identify
|
Jay, Blue |
Cyanocitta cristata |
|
Female, male
|
Junco, Dark-eyed |
Junco hyemalis |
|
Male slate-colored
|
Killdeer |
Charadrius vociferus |
|
|
Kingfisher, Belted |
Megaceryle alcyon |
|
Female
|
Mallard |
Anas platyrhynchos |
|
Female, male, hatchlings
|
Nuthatch, Red-breasted |
Sitta canadensis |
|
|
Owl, Barred |
Strix varia |
|
Adult and fledgling. Saw another at night, but I couldn't identify it
|
Oriole, Baltimore |
Icterus galbula |
|
|
Osprey |
Pandion haliaetus |
|
Adult, nest
|
Pelican, Brown |
Pelecanus occidentalis |
|
|
Pheasant, Common |
Phasianus colchicus |
|
|
Raven, Common |
Corvis corax |
|
|
Redpoll, Common |
Acanthis flammea |
|
|
Robin, American |
Turdus migratorius |
|
Female, male, hatchlings, nest, eggs
|
Sparrow, Eurasian Tree |
Passer montanus |
|
|
Sparrow, House |
Passer domesticus |
|
Female, male
|
Starling, Common |
Sturnus vulgaris |
|
|
Swallow, Barn |
Hirundo rustica |
|
Female, male
|
Swan, Mute |
Cygnus olor |
|
|
Turkey, Wild |
Meleagris gallopavo |
|
Female, male
|
Vulture, Turkey |
Cathartes aura |
|
|
Waxwing, Cedar |
Bombycilla cedrorum |
|
Female, male
|
Woodpecker - Flicker, Northern |
Colaptes auratus |
|
Male, female, egg
|
Woodpecker - Pileated |
Dryocuopus pileatus |
|
|
Woodpecker - Red-bellied |
Melanerpes carolinus |
|
|
Butterflies, Moths, Caterpillars
Common Name |
Nomenclature |
Photos |
Notes
|
Butterfly - Cabbage White |
Pieris rapae |
32x32px |
Adult
|
Butterfly - Clouded Sulfur |
Colias philodice |
|
Adult
|
Butterfly - Monarch |
Danaus plexippus |
|
Adult
|
Butterfly - Painted Lady |
Vanessa cardui |
|
|
Butterfly - Swallowtail, Canadian Tiger |
Papilio canadensis |
|
Adult
|
Butterfly - Swallowtail, Giant |
Papilio cresphontes |
|
Adult
|
Moth - Hawk, Five-spotted (Tomato Hornworm) |
Manduca quinquemaculata |
|
Caterpillar
|
Moth - Hummingbird |
Hemaris |
|
Unable to identify species
|
Moth - Isabella Tiger (Wolly Bear) |
Pyrrharctia isabella |
|
Adult, Caterpillar
|
Moth - Tent Caterpillar, Eastern |
Malacosoma americanum |
|
Adult, caterpillar
|
Moth - Oleander |
Syntomeida epilais |
|
Caterpillar (seen in Quintana Roo, Mexico)
|
Moth - Tussock, Hickory Tiger |
Lophocampa caryae |
|
Caterpillar, adult
|
Moth - Tussock, Spotted |
Lophocampa maculata |
|
Caterpillar
|
Moth - Winter (Inch Worm) |
Operophtera brumato |
|
Adult, caterpillar
|
Cnidarias
Common Name |
Nomenclature |
Photos |
Notes
|
Jellyfish, box |
Cubozoa |
|
Seen in Bahamas. Also stung by one, in Gulf of Mexico, but couldn't identify.
|
Crustaceans
Fish
Insects
Common Name |
Nomenclature |
Photos |
Notes
|
Ant - Black Carpenter |
Camponotus pennsylvanicus |
|
Female, Male, larva, eggs
|
Ant - Black Garden |
Lasius niger |
|
|
Ant - Pavement |
Tetramorium caespitum |
|
|
Bee - Bumble, American |
Bombus pensylvanicus |
|
|
Bee - Sweat, Dark |
Lasioglossum pectorale |
|
|
Bee - Honey, Western |
Apis mellifera |
|
|
Beetle - False Mealworm |
Alobates pennsylvanica |
|
|
Beetle - Japanese |
Popillia japonica |
|
|
Beetle - May |
Phyllophaga |
|
|
Beetle - Willow Leaf |
Plagiodera versicolora |
|
|
Boxelder Bug |
Boisea trivittata |
|
|
Centipede - House |
Scutigeridae |
|
|
Centipede - Bark |
Cormocephalus |
|
|
Cicada |
|
|
Unable to identify genus
|
Cricket - Field |
Gryllus pennsylvanicus |
|
|
Damselfly - Ebony jewelwing |
Calopteryx maculata |
|
Male
|
Damselfly |
Ischnura |
|
|
Dragonfly - Blue Dasher |
Pachydiplax longipennis |
|
|
Dragonfly - Common Whitetail |
Plathemis lydia |
|
Juvenile male
|
Dragonfly |
Anisoptera |
|
Unable to identify species
|
Earwig - European |
Forficula auricularia |
|
Female, male, young, larva, eggs
|
Firefly - Common Eastern |
Photinus pyralis |
|
|
Fishfly - Spring |
Chauliodes rastricornis |
|
|
Fly - Common Fruit |
Drosophila melanogaster |
|
|
Fly - Crane |
Tipulidae |
|
|
Fly - Deer |
Chrysops |
|
|
Fly - Flesh |
Sarcophaga |
|
|
Fly - Horse |
Tabanidae |
|
|
Fly - House |
Musca domestica |
|
|
Gnat |
Mycetophilidae |
|
Unable to identify species
|
Grasshopper - Differential |
Melanoplus differentialis |
|
|
Grasshopper - Two-striped |
Melanoplus bivittatus |
|
|
Harvestman - Eastern |
Leiobunum vittatum |
|
|
Katydid - Fork-tailed Bush |
Scudderia furcata |
|
|
Ladybeetle - Asian |
Harmonia axyridis |
|
|
Lady Bug |
Coccinellidae |
|
|
Mantis - Chinese |
Tenodera sinensis |
|
|
Mantis - European |
Mantis religiosa |
|
|
Masked Hunter |
Reduvius personatus |
|
Nymph
|
Mayfly |
Palaeoptera |
|
Seen in Ohio off Lake Erie
|
Milkweed Bug, Small |
Lygaeus kalmii |
|
Adult and nymphs
|
Millipede |
Diplopoda |
|
Unable to identify species
|
Mite - Clover |
Bryobia praetiosa |
|
|
Mosquito |
Culicidae |
|
Female, larva. Unable to identify species
|
Pseudoscorpion |
Pseudoscorpionida |
|
|
Spider - Grass, American |
Agelenopsis |
|
|
Spider - Longbodied Cellar |
Pholcus phalangioides |
|
|
Spider - Nursery Web |
Pisaurina mira |
|
Male
|
Spider - Tan Jumping |
Platycryptus undatus |
|
|
Spider - Yellow Sac, American |
Cheiracanthium inclusum |
|
|
Spider - Zebra Back |
Salticus scenicus |
|
|
Stink Bug - Brown Marmorated |
Halyomorpha halys |
|
|
Tick - Brown Dog |
Rhipicephalus sanguineus |
|
|
Walking Stick - Common |
Diapheromera femorata |
|
|
Wasp - Great Black |
Sphex pensylvanicus |
|
|
Wasp - Eastern Yellow Jacket |
Vespula maculifrons |
|
|
Wasp - European Paper |
Polistes dominula |
|
|
Wasp - Metricus Paper |
Polistes metricus |
|
|
Weevil - Black Vine |
Otiorhynchus sulcatus |
|
|
Mammals
Common Name |
Nomenclature |
Photos |
Notes
|
Agouti - Central American |
Dasyprocta punctata |
|
Seen in Quintana Roo, Mexico
|
Bat |
Chiroptera |
|
Unable to identify
|
Bear, American Black |
Ursus americanus |
|
Seen in Tennessee
|
Chipmunk, Eastern |
Tamias striatus |
|
|
Coati - White-Nosed |
Nasua narica |
|
Seen in Quintana Roo, Mexico
|
Coyote |
Canis latrans |
|
Seen in California
|
Deer, White-tailed |
Odocoileus virginianus |
|
Male, female, fawns
|
Groundhog |
Marmota monax |
|
|
Hare, Snowshoe |
Lepus americanus |
|
|
Manatee, Florida |
Trichechus manatus latirostris |
|
Seen in Florida
|
Mink, American |
Neovison vison |
|
|
Mouse, House |
Mus musculus |
|
|
Muskrat |
Ondatra zibethicus |
|
|
Opossum, Virginia |
Didelphis virginiana |
|
|
Rabbit, Eastern Cottontail |
Sylvilagus floridanus |
|
Adult, young
|
Raccoon |
Procyon lotor |
|
Adults and kits
|
Seal, Northern Fur |
Callorhinus ursinus |
|
Seen in Seattle
|
Squirrel, American Red |
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus |
|
|
Squirrel, Black |
Sciurus carolinensis |
|
Variant of the gray squirrel
|
Squirrel, Fox |
Sciurus niger |
|
|
Squirrel, Eastern Gray |
Sciurus carolinensis |
|
|
Skunk, Striped |
Mephitis mephitis |
|
|
Vole, Meadow |
Microtus pennsylvanicus |
|
|
Mollusks
Reptiles