source: Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

Common Species Checklist

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.

Mountain Lion

Mountain Lion

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

Desert Tortoise
Spiny Softshell Turtle
Red-eared Slider

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
Lyre Snake
Night Snake
Regal Ringneck Snake
Wandering Gartersnake
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
Black 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
Barn 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
Red-naped Sapsucker
Loggerhead Shrike
Western Kingbird
White-throated Swift
Cliff Swallow
Western Meadowlark
Cactus Wren
Canyon Wren
House Wren
Rock Wren
Juniper Titmouse
Verdin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Lucy’s Warbler
Black-throated Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch

Amphibians

American Bullfrog
Canyon Tree Frog
Pacific Chorus Frog
Red Spotted Toad
Southwestern Toad
Woodhouse’s Toad
Great Basin Spadefoot
Tiger Salamander

Videos of Wildlife in Southern Utah:

Desert Tortoises
Gila Monsters
Sidewinders
Great Basin Rattlesnakes
Other Wildlife