Wildlife of Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver is squeezed between the coastal temperate rainforest and the Salish Sea, giving it a wildlife roster of black bears, coyotes and pileated woodpeckers in Stanley Park alongside orcas, harbour seals and one of the great remaining Pacific salmon runs. Autumn brings tens of thousands of bald eagles to the nearby Squamish and Harrison rivers to feed on spawning salmon.
Best timeAugust – October for salmon runs, November – February for eagle concentrations.
- 1Stanley Park has a resident harbour-seal population that hauls out at Third Beach.
- 2Vancouver sits on the Pacific Flyway — winter brings a million snow geese to the Fraser delta.
- 3Coastal wolves swim between islands in Howe Sound and Desolation Sound.
Signature species
Curated for Vancouver, British Columbia, each tagged with its IUCN Red List status.
- LC
Coastal grey wolf
Canis lupus
Distinct island-swimming ecotype.
- EN
Southern resident orca
Orcinus orca
- EN
Marbled murrelet
Brachyramphus marmoratus
- VU
Northern goshawk
Accipiter gentilis laingi
- EN
Sea otter
Enhydra lutris
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 snow geese at Reifel Sanctuary in November.
- Report cougar sightings to BC Conservation Officers.
- 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 paddle within 400m of orcas — federal law.
- Don't take intertidal life from beaches.
- 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 50km, last 30 days.
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