Wildlife of the Reserve
Interested in Wildlife?
Because the elevation, vegetation, and terrain within Washington County are so diverse, the Reserve is home to an unusual mix of wildlife which are by no means limited to the list below. Click on a species’ name in the checklists below for a picture and some info or check out the cool videos.
Common Species Checklist
Mammals
- Mountain Lion
- Bobcat
- Coyote
- Gray Fox
- Kit Fox
- Raccoon
- Striped Skunk
- Mule Deer
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit
- Desert Cottontail
- Beaver
- Muskrat
- Western Gray Squirrel
- Antelope Ground Squirrel
- Desert Kangaroo Rat
- Desert Woodrat
- Bats (several species)
Turtles and Tortoises
Lizards
- Gila Monster
- Chuckwalla
- Long-nosed Leopard Lizard
- Great Basin Collared Lizard
- Desert Horned Lizard
- Mountain Short-horned Lizard
- Zebra-tailed Lizard
- Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard
- Western Fence Lizard
- Plateau Fence Lizard
- Side-blotched Lizard
- Tiger Whiptail
- Plateau Striped Whiptail
- Western Banded Gecko
- Western Skink
Snakes
- Great Basin Rattlesnake
- Mojave Desert Sidewinder
- California Kingsnake
- Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake
- Coachwhip
- Striped Whipsnake
- Patch-nosed Snake
- Gopher Snake
- Glossy Snake
- Long-nosed Snake
- Western Lyresnake
- Night Snake
- Regal Ringneck Snake
- Wandering Gartersnake
- Smith’s Black-headed Snake
- Ground Snake
- Western Blind Snake
Birds (limited to common species)
- Golden Eagle
- Bald Eagle
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Ferruginous Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Peregrine Falcon
- Prairie Falcon
- Merlin
- American Kestrel
- Northern Harrier
- Turkey Vulture
- Great Horned Owl
- Long-eared Owl
- Western Screech-Owl
- Burrowing Owl
- Great Blue Heron
- Wild Turkey
- Gambel’s Quail
- Lesser Nighthawk
- Greater Roadrunner
- Rock Pigeon
- Mourning Dove
- Common Raven
- Costa’s Hummingbird
- Northern Flicker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Western Kingbird
- White-throated Swift
- Cliff Swallow
- Western Meadowlark
- Cactus Wren
- Canyon Wren
- House Wren
- Rock Wren
- Juniper Titmouse
- Black-throated Sparrow
- Chipping Sparrow
- Sagebrush Sparrow
- White-crowned Sparrow
- House Finch
- Lesser Goldfinch
Want your bird observations to contribute to science? Ebird is the largest citizen science project in the world. Submitted observations directly contribute to distribution maps, and towards discovering important long-term population trends.
Amphibians
Videos of Wildlife in the Reserve
More Wildlife Videos:
Tortoises
- Desert Tortoises Fighting
- Desert Tortoises Mating & Fighting
- Desert Tortoises Mating
- Curious Desert Tortoise
- Desert Tortoise Eating
- Desert Tortoise Juvenile
- Desert Tortoise Hatchling
- Desert Tortoises Released in Burrow
Birds
Snakes