Wildlife
What lives in Pinnacles
Last verified NPS species database
Every animal below comes from the National Park Service’s own species list for Pinnacles: 49 mammals, 159 birds, 21 reptiles, 7 amphibians and 2 fish recorded as present. Status words (present, unconfirmed, not in park) are the NPS’s, not ours.
Animals people ask about
Coyote
Canis latrans · Abundant
Mountain lion
Puma concolor · Uncommon
Bobcat
Lynx rufus · Uncommon
Rattlesnakes
Crotalus oreganus · Uncommon · any rattlesnake species
Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Rare
California condor
Gymnogyps californianus · Common
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos · Common
By group
Species counts
Present or probably present per the NPS list. “Listed” includes species the NPS has evaluated but marks unconfirmed or not in park.
- Mammals
- 55
- 60 listed · 6 non-native
- Birds
- 159
- 170 listed · 5 non-native
- Reptiles
- 21
- 29 listed
- Amphibians
- 7
- 10 listed
- Fish
- 2
- 6 listed · 1 non-native
Mammals
All 55 mammals recorded in Pinnacles
Most abundant first, as the NPS rates them.
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park | Abundance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beechey Ground Squirrel | Spermophilus beecheyi | Abundant | ||
| Big Brown Bat | Eptesicus fuscus | Abundant | ||
| Black-tailed deer | Odocoileus hemionus | Abundant | ||
| Black-tailed Jack Rabbit | Lepus californicus | Abundant | ||
| Brazilian Free-tailed Bat | Tadarida brasiliensis | Abundant | ||
| Brush Deermouse | Peromyscus boylii | Abundant | ||
| California Deermouse | Peromyscus californicus | Abundant | ||
| Coyote | Canis latrans | Abundant | ||
| Pinyon mouse | Peromyscus truei | Abundant | ||
| Western Harvest Mouse | Reithrodontomys megalotis | Abundant | ||
| Western Pipistrelle | Pipistrellus hesperus | Abundant | ||
| Wild boar | Sus scrofa | Abundant | Non-native |
Show the other 43 mammals ↓The other 43
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park | Abundance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuma Myotis | Myotis yumanensis | Abundant | ||
| Amargosa Vole | Microtus californicus | Common | ||
| Audubon's cottontail | Sylvilagus audubonii | Common | ||
| Brush Rabbit | Sylvilagus bachmani | Common | ||
| California Myotis | Myotis californicus | Common | ||
| California Pocket Mouse | Chaetodipus californicus | Common | ||
| Common raccoon | Procyon lotor | Common | ||
| Desert Woodrat | Neotoma lepida | Common | ||
| Fringed Myotis | Myotis thysanodes | Common | ||
| Greater Bonneted Bat | Eumops perotis | Common | ||
| Long-eared Myotis | Myotis evotis | Common | ||
| Long-legged Myotis | Myotis volans | Common | ||
| Merriam's Chipmunk | Tamias merriami | Common | ||
| Pallid Bat | Antrozous pallidus | Common | ||
| Prairie deer mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus | Common | ||
| Small-footed Myotis | Myotis ciliolabrum | Common | ||
| Striped Skunk | Mephitis mephitis | Common | ||
| Townsends' Big-eared Bat | Corynorhinus townsendii | Common | ||
| Valley Pocket Gopher | Thomomys bottae | Common | ||
| Bobcat | Lynx rufus | Uncommon | ||
| Broad-footed Mole | Scapanus latimanus | Uncommon | ||
| Common Gray Fox | Urocyon cinereoargenteus | Uncommon | ||
| Cougar | Puma concolor | Uncommon | ||
| Dusky-footed Woodrat | Neotoma fuscipes | Uncommon | ||
| Elephant-eared Kangaroo Rat | Dipodomys elephantinus | Uncommon | ||
| Heermann's Kangaroo Rat | Dipodomys heermanni | Uncommon | ||
| Hoary Bat | Lasiurus cinereus | Uncommon | ||
| House Mouse | Mus musculus | Uncommon | Non-native | |
| Narrow-faced Kangaroo Rat | Dipodomys venustus | Uncommon | ||
| Ornate Shrew | Sorex ornatus | Uncommon | ||
| Red Bat | Lasiurus blossevillii | Uncommon | ||
| Virginia Opossum | Didelphis virginiana | Uncommon | Non-native | |
| Caucasian wildcat | Felis silvestris | Occasional | Non-native | |
| Domestic Goat | Capra hircus | Occasional | Non-native | |
| Domesticated cattle | Bos taurus | Occasional | Non-native | |
| Long-tailed Weasel | Mustela frenata | Rare | ||
| North American Badger | Taxidea taxus | Rare | ||
| Big Free-tailed Bat | Nyctinomops macrotis | Probably Present | ||
| Black Bat | Lasionycteris noctivagans | Probably Present | ||
| Eastern Red Bat | Lasiurus borealis | Probably Present | ||
| Eastern Small-footed Bat | Myotis leibii | Probably Present | ||
| Little Brown Bat | Myotis lucifugus | Probably Present | ||
| Pocketed Free-tailed Bat | Nyctinomops femorosaccus | Probably Present |
Birds
159 birds — show the list ↓
Birds
159 birds — show the list ↓
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | ||
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | ||
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularia | ||
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus | ||
| White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis | ||
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | ||
| Rufous-crowned Sparrow | Aimophila ruficeps | ||
| Chukar | Alectoris chukar | Non-native | |
| Sage Sparrow | Amphispiza belli | ||
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | ||
| Western Scrub Jay | Aphelocoma californica | ||
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | ||
| Black-chinned Hummingbird | Archilochus alexandri | ||
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | ||
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus | ||
| Oak titmouse | Baeolophus inornatus | ||
| Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | ||
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | ||
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | ||
| Rough-legged hawk | Buteo lagopus | ||
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | ||
| Ferruginous Hawk | Buteo regalis | ||
| Swainson's Hawk | Buteo swainsoni | ||
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens | ||
| Western sandpiper | Calidris mauri | ||
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | ||
| California Quail | Callipepla californica | ||
| Anna's Hummingbird | Calypte anna | ||
| Costa's Hummingbird | Calypte costae | ||
| Lawrence's Goldfinch | Carduelis lawrencei | ||
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus | ||
| Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria | ||
| American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis | ||
| Cassin's finch | Carpodacus cassinii | ||
| House Finch | Carpodacus mexicanus | ||
| Purple Finch | Carpodacus purpureus | ||
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | ||
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | ||
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | ||
| Canyon Wren | Catherpes mexicanus | ||
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | ||
| Belted Kingfisher | Ceryle alcyon | ||
| Wrentit | Chamaea fasciata | ||
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | ||
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | ||
| American Dipper | Cinclus mexicanus | ||
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus | ||
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | ||
| Band-tailed Pigeon | Columba fasciata | ||
| Rock Dove | Columba livia | Non-native | |
| Olive-sided flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | ||
| Western Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus | ||
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | ||
| Common Raven | Corvus corax | ||
| Steller's Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri | ||
| Black swift | Cypseloides niger | ||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata | ||
| Black-throated Gray Warbler | Dendroica nigrescens | ||
| Hermit Warbler | Dendroica occidentalis | ||
| Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia | ||
| Townsend's Warbler | Dendroica townsendi | ||
| White-tailed Kite | Elanus leucurus | ||
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher | Empidonax difficilis | ||
| Hammond's flycatcher | Empidonax hammondii | ||
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | ||
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | ||
| Prairie Falcon | Falco mexicanus | ||
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | ||
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | ||
| American Coot | Fulica americana | ||
| Common Snipe | Gallinago gallinago | ||
| Greater Roadrunner | Geococcyx californianus | ||
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | ||
| Northern Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium gnoma | ||
| California Condor | Gymnogyps californianus | ||
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | ||
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | ||
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | ||
| Bullock's Oriole | Icterus bullockii | ||
| Varied Thrush | Ixoreus naevius | ||
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis | ||
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | ||
| Acorn Woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus | ||
| Lewis' Woodpecker | Melanerpes lewis | ||
| Wild Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo | Non-native | |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | ||
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia | ||
| Common merganser | Mergus merganser | ||
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | ||
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | ||
| Townsend's Solitaire | Myadestes townsendi | ||
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens | ||
| Clark's nutcracker | Nucifraga columbiana | ||
| Macgillivray's Warbler | Oporornis tolmiei | ||
| Mountain quail | Oreortyx pictus | ||
| Western Screech-Owl | Otus kennicottii | ||
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | ||
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Non-native | |
| Fox Sparrow | Passerella iliaca | ||
| Lazuli Bunting | Passerina amoena | ||
| American white pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | ||
| Cliff swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | ||
| Phainopepla | Phainopepla nitens | ||
| Common Poorwill | Phalaenoptilus nuttallii | ||
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus | ||
| Yellow-billed Magpie | Pica nuttalli | ||
| Nuttall's Woodpecker | Picoides nuttallii | ||
| Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens | ||
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | ||
| California Towhee | Pipilo crissalis | ||
| Spotted towhee | Pipilo maculatus | ||
| Western Tanager | Piranga ludoviciana | ||
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | ||
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee | Poecile rufescens | ||
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | ||
| Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus | ||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | ||
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | Regulus satrapa | ||
| Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | ||
| Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | ||
| Say's Phoebe | Sayornis saya | ||
| Rufous Hummingbird | Selasphorus rufus | ||
| Allen's Hummingbird | Selasphorus sasin | ||
| Mountain Bluebird | Sialia currucoides | ||
| Western Bluebird | Sialia mexicana | ||
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta canadensis | ||
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | ||
| Red-breasted Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus ruber | ||
| Black-chinned Sparrow | Spizella atrogularis | ||
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | ||
| Calliope hummingbird | Stellula calliope | ||
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | ||
| Common Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | Non-native | |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | ||
| Violet-green Swallow | Tachycineta thalassina | ||
| Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | ||
| California Thrasher | Toxostoma redivivum | ||
| Lesser Yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes | ||
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | ||
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon | ||
| Winter Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes | ||
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius | ||
| Western Kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis | ||
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba | ||
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata | ||
| Nashville Warbler | Vermivora ruficapilla | ||
| Bell's Vireo | Vireo bellii | ||
| Cassin's vireo | Vireo cassinii | ||
| Eastern Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus | ||
| Hutton's Vireo | Vireo huttoni | ||
| Blue-headed Vireo | Vireo solitarius | ||
| Gray Vireo | Vireo vicinior | ||
| Hooded warbler | Wilsonia citrina | ||
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | ||
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | ||
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | ||
| White-throated sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis | ||
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia atricapilla | ||
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys |
Reptiles
21 reptiles — show the list ↓
Reptiles
21 reptiles — show the list ↓
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park | Abundance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silvery legless lizard | Anniella pulchra | Common | ||
| Southwestern pond turtle | Clemmys marmorata | Rare | ||
| Western whiptail | Cnemidophorus tigris | Abundant | ||
| Sharp-tailed snake | Contia tenuis | Uncommon | ||
| Western rattlesnake | Crotalus oreganus | Uncommon | ||
| Ringneck snake | Diadophis punctatus | Uncommon | ||
| Southern alligator lizard | Elgaria multicarinata | Common | ||
| Gilbert's skink | Eumeces gilberti | Uncommon | ||
| Night snake | Hypsiglena torquata | Common | ||
| California Kingsnake | Lampropeltis getula | Uncommon | ||
| San Joaquin coachwhip | Masticophis flagellum | Rare | ||
| California striped racer | Masticophis lateralis | Common | ||
| Coast horned lizard | Phrynosoma coronatum | Common | ||
| Gophersnake | Pituophis catenifer | Uncommon | ||
| Longnose snake | Rhinocheilus lecontei | Occasional | ||
| Western fence lizard | Sceloporus occidentalis | Abundant | ||
| Western black-headed snake | Tantilla planiceps | Occasional | ||
| Diablo Range garter snake | Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus | Uncommon | ||
| Common gartersnake | Thamnophis sirtalis | Common | ||
| Side-blotched lizard | Uta stansburiana | Abundant | ||
| Desert night lizard | Xantusia vigilis | Common |
Amphibians
7 amphibians — show the list ↓
Amphibians
7 amphibians — show the list ↓
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park | Abundance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arboreal Salamander | Aneides lugubris | Abundant | ||
| Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander | Batrachoseps gavilanensis | Common | ||
| Western Toad | Bufo boreas | Common | ||
| Ensatina | Ensatina eschscholtzii | Uncommon | ||
| Pacific tree frog | Hyla regilla | Abundant | ||
| California red-legged frog | Rana aurora draytonii | Abundant | ||
| Western spadefoot | Spea hammondii | Occasional |
Fish
2 fish — show the list ↓
Fish
2 fish — show the list ↓
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park | Abundance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosquitofish | Gambusia affinis | Abundant | Non-native | |
| Alaskan stickleback | Gasterosteus aculeatus | Abundant |
Where this comes from
NPSpecies is the National Park Service’s database of the species documented in each park. We show its vertebrate lists as published: a species is “present” when the park has confirmed it, “unconfirmed” when reports exist without verification, and “not in park” when the NPS has ruled it out (often tagged “historical” for animals that once lived there). Lists lag reality by months or years and seeing an animal is never guaranteed. Plants, insects and other invertebrates are not included here. Browse the full NPSpecies list for Pinnacles.
Sources · 2
- 1.NPSpecies — the National Park Service species database (IRMA), full and detail species lists — Pinnacles (PINN) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
- 2.Pinnacles National Park — Nature & wildlife (nps.gov) · National Park Service
FAQ
Pinnacles wildlife questions
- Are there bears in Pinnacles?
- The NPS species list for Pinnacles does not include black bear, so there is no record of them in the park.
- Are there wolves in Pinnacles?
- The NPS species list for Pinnacles does not include gray wolf, so there is no record of them in the park.
- Are there mountain lions in Pinnacles?
- Yes. The NPS species list for Pinnacles records mountain lion as present, listed as uncommon.
- Are there rattlesnakes in Pinnacles?
- Yes. The NPS species list for Pinnacles records rattlesnakes as present, listed as uncommon.
- How many animal species live in Pinnacles?
- The NPS species database lists 49 mammal, 159 bird, 21 reptile, 7 amphibian and 2 fish species as present or probably present in Pinnacles. Plants and invertebrates are not counted here.
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