Grand Canyon National Park

National Park · United States

No ratings yet

Photo © Romain Guy from San Francisco, USA

Photo © Romain Guy from San Francisco, USA — CC0 1.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

A mile-deep chasm of rust-red rock and purple shadow cuts through the high desert plateau of northern Arizona, revealing nearly two billion years of geological history in stratified walls that shift from ochre to deep crimson as light moves across the canyon floor. This vast amphitheater of stone spans 277 river miles and descends through multiple life zones, each defined by elevation and aridity. The semi-arid climate—marked by sparse winter precipitation and intense summer heat—supports a mosaic of habitats: pygmy woodland clings to the rim, giving way to shrubland and desert scrub as elevations drop, while riparian growth follows the Colorado River's narrow corridor at the canyon bottom. Wildlife adapted to this austere landscape includes birds of prey that ride thermals above the precipices, small desert mammals active during cooler hours, and bighorn sheep navigating impossible ledges. The river itself harbors fish and aquatic insects sheltered from the surrounding aridity, creating pockets of unexpected richness within an otherwise sparse ecosystem.

For wildlife photographers and observers, the Grand Canyon offers unmatched opportunities to witness predators and ungulates in their natural context, framed against some of Earth's most dramatic geology. Early morning and late afternoon light sculpts the canyon walls into a palette that changes by the minute, ideal for capturing both the landscape and the animals that inhabit it. The cooler months—autumn through spring—bring the most predictable wildlife viewing, when temperatures moderate and desert creatures venture more readily into daylight. Multiple overlooks and rim trails provide accessible vantage points, while river-based expeditions reach the canyon bottom where riparian species congregate and geological exposure reaches its most profound. Whether watching raptors patrol the thermals or tracking movement through distant canyons with binoculars, visitors here witness an ecosystem shaped entirely by water scarcity and stone.

Website nps.gov/grca

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

Aquila chrysaetos

Branta canadensis

Spatula cyanoptera

Anas platyrhynchos

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Callipepla gambelii

Dendragapus obscurus

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Common Poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

White-throated Swift

Aeronautes saxatalis

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandri

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycercus

Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus

Band-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas fasciata

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Zenaida macroura

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Porzana carolina

Fulica americana

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Charadrius vociferus

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Gallinago delicata

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Tringa semipalmata

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

California Gull

Larus californicus

White-faced Ibis

Great Blue Heron

Pandion haliaetus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Rough-legged Buzzard

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

Mountain Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium gnoma

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Lewis's Woodpecker

Melanerpes lewis

Acorn Woodpecker

Melanerpes formicivorus

Williamson's Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus thyroideus

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Red-naped Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus nuchalis

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Picoides dorsalis

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Dryobates scalaris

Hairy Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus villosus

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Falco columbarius

Falco mexicanus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Sayornis nigricans

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Hammond's Flycatcher

Empidonax hammondii

American Grey Flycatcher

Empidonax wrightii

Western Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Cassin's Kingbird

Tyrannus vociferans

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

Western Warbling Vireo

Vireo swainsoni

Plumbeous Vireo

Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Woodhouse's Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma woodhouseii

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus

Clark's Nutcracker

Nucifraga columbiana

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Bombycilla cedrorum

Mountain Chickadee

Poecile gambeli

Eremophila alpestris

Tachycineta bicolor

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Hirundo rustica

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Corthylio calendula

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Salpinctes obsoletus

Catherpes mexicanus

Thryomanes bewickii

Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Certhia americana

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Western Bluebird

Sialia mexicana

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Catharus guttatus

Turdus migratorius

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Passer domesticus

Anthus rubescens

Evening Grosbeak

Hesperiphona vespertina

Haemorhous cassinii

Haemorhous mexicanus

Loxia curvirostra

Two-barred Crossbill

Loxia leucoptera

American Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Chondestes grammacus

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Black-chinned Sparrow

Spizella atrogularis

Brewer's Sparrow

Spizella breweri

Dark-eyed Junco

Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querula

Pooecetes gramineus

Melospiza melodia

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Aimophila ruficeps

Green-tailed Towhee

Pipilo chlorurus

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Icterus parisorum

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Leiothlypis luciae

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Virginia's Warbler

Leiothlypis virginiae

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Setophaga coronata

Grace's Warbler

Setophaga graciae

Black-throated Grey Warbler

Setophaga nigrescens

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Passerina amoena

Anser caerulescens

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Cygnus columbianus

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mareca strepera

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Northern Pintail

Aythya valisineria

Aythya americana

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Bucephala albeola

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Oxyura jamaicensis

Mexican Whip-poor-will

Antrostomus arizonae

Rivoli's Hummingbird

Eugenes fulgens

Anna's Hummingbird

Costa's Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbird

Selasphorus calliope

Rallus limicola

Antigone canadensis

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Aechmophorus occidentalis

Aechmophorus clarkii

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Chlidonias niger

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Mycteria americana

Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Butorides virescens

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Red-shouldered Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk

Athene cunicularia

Flammulated Owl

Psiloscops flammeolus

Western Screech Owl

Megascops kennicottii

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

American Dusky Flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus tyrannulus

Vireo olivaceus

Phainopepla nitens

Riparia riparia

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Cistothorus palustris

Troglodytes pacificus

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila melanura

Dumetella carolinensis

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Oreoscoptes montanus

Crissal Thrasher

Toxostoma crissale

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Ixoreus naevius

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Peucedramus taeniatus

Acanthis flammea

Lawrence's Goldfinch

Spinus lawrencei

Calamospiza melanocorys

Clay-colored Sparrow

Spizella pallida

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

American Tree Sparrow

Spizelloides arborea

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Sagebrush Sparrow

Artemisiospiza nevadensis

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Icterus cucullatus

Icterus spurius

Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus

Seiurus aurocapilla

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Cape May Warbler

Setophaga tigrina

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Yellow-throated Warbler

Setophaga dominica

Setophaga occidentalis

Painted Whitestart

Myioborus pictus

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Spiza americana

Passerina caerulea

Passerina cyanea

Barrow's Goldeneye

Bucephala islandica

Chukar Partridge

Alectoris chukar

Phalaropus fulicarius

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Eastern Warbling Vireo

California Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma californica

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

Nelson's Sparrow

Ammospiza nelsoni

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Ovis canadensis

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Lepus californicus

Desert Cottontail

Sylvilagus audubonii

Mountain Cottontail

Sylvilagus nuttallii

North American Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

Abert's Squirrel

Fremont's Squirrel

Tamiasciurus fremonti

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel

Ammospermophilus leucurus

Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Callospermophilus lateralis

Common Rock Squirrel

Otospermophilus variegatus

Neotamias dorsalis

Neotamias minimus

Neotamias umbrinus

North American Beaver

Castor canadensis

Microtus mogollonensis

Western Deermouse

Peromyscus sonoriensis

Parastrellus hesperus

Townsend's Big-eared Bat

Corynorhinus townsendii

Euderma maculatum

Bassariscus astutus

Northern Raccoon

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

Northern Gray Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Odocoileus hemionus

Cervus canadensis

Antilocapra americana

North American Red Squirrel

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Brazilian Free-tailed Bat

Tadarida brasiliensis

Common Pallid Bat

Antrozous pallidus

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Western Red Deer

View Complete List (304 more) →

0 Community observations

No community observations yet — be the first to log a sighting here.