Wildlife of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis sits where the tallgrass prairie meets the southern edge of the North Woods, so the Twin Cities routinely host common loons, bald eagles, river otters and returning trumpeter swans. Winter brings snowy owls and rough-legged hawks down from the tundra, plus the odd great grey owl in irruption years.
Best timeMay – June for loons and warblers, December – February for northern winter irruptives.
- 1Minneapolis is one of the few US cities with breeding common loons within its metro.
- 2The Mississippi River gorge here hosts North America's densest urban bald-eagle population.
- 3Timber wolves live within a two-hour drive north of the city.
Signature species
Curated for Minneapolis, Minnesota, each tagged with its IUCN Red List status.
- LC
Common loon
Gavia immer
- LC
Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- LC
Trumpeter swan
Cygnus buccinator
Recovered from ~70 birds.
- VU
Rusty blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
- LC
Grey wolf
Canis lupus
IUCN codes — EX extinct · EW extinct in wild · CR critically endangered · EN endangered · VU vulnerable · NT near threatened · LC least concern · DD data deficient
Dos & don'ts
Local etiquette that keeps wildlife wild.
Do
- Watch trumpeter swans at Monticello in January.
- Report banded loons to the USGS.
- Keep distance — use zoom or binoculars, never bait animals closer.
- Stay on marked trails to avoid trampling nests, burrows and plants.
Don't
- Don't approach loon nests in a kayak — they abandon eggs.
- Don't run outboard motors near swan flocks.
- Never feed wildlife — human food changes behaviour and shortens lives.
- Don't share exact locations of nests, dens or rare species online.
Spotted here lately
Live from iNaturalist — research-grade observations within 40km, last 30 days.
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