As our planet's human population grows and wild places become rarer, wildlife face many threats. Use the links below to learn about the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects that share our home spaces with us.
Invasive Species
USDA: What are invasive species?
State of Michigan: Identify and Report
Find your local Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA)
Common Wildlife Topics and Questions
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers many answers to questions about wildlife, including recreation, disease, and education.
DNR: Keep wildlife wild -abandoned animal FAQ and rehabilitator list
NWF: Why should you leave the leaves?
DNR: Eyes in the Field is a reporting system for diseased wildlife, rare or tagged wildlife, invasive species, and any natural resource violations or poaching.
On the Path to Extinction
Learn about Michigan's rare animals from Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI).
Report an observation of an endangered, threatened, or special concern species through MNFI.
DNR: Michigan's threatened and endangered species list
Detailed population trends for species around the globe can be found at The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species
Resources
"Take your nature knowledge up a notch with Seek! Use the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Earn badges for seeing different types of birds, amphibians, plants, and fungi and participate in monthly observation challenges." Created by iNaturalist.
Free app
"iNaturalist is a social network for sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. The primary goal is to connect people to nature, and the secondary goal is to generate scientifically valuable biodiversity data from these personal encounters."
Free app and website
Audubon's free visualization tool allows you to see how ranges change due to climate change for Michigan's bird species.
Free website
Free online course from MSU
Field guide created by the North American Native Bee Collaborative
Free PDF
This easy to use website allows you to compare the calls of Michigan frogs and toads.
Free website
Quiz yourself on the calls of Michigan's frogs and toads.
Free website (desktop only)
"The Michigan Herp Atlas provides a statewide, publicly accessible, editable database for the state of Michigan. Through the database, citizens can record their own past and present observations to help assess changes in populations over time and measure species health."
Free website
Field Guides
Fiona A. Reid
Jonathan Poppele
Roger Tory Peterson
Stan Tekiela
David Allen Sibley
Kenn Kaufman
James H. Harding and David A. Mifsud
Allen Blake Sheldon
Robert Powell, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins
Jospeh S. Wilson and Olivia Messinger Carril
Christopher Leahy
Eric R. Eaton and Kenn Kaufman
National Audubon Society
Books
Organizations
"We help government, industry, NGOs and the public operate from a sound scientific basis when making decisions that impact our environment. We educate through outreach programs and training of volunteer community scientists...we inspire the next generation to be knowledgeable stewards of Michigan's biodiversity."
"Michigan Audubon connects birds and people for the benefit of both through conservation, education, and research efforts in the state of Michigan."
"The Michigan Nature Association is a nonprofit conservation organization working to protect Michigan's rare, threatened and endangered species by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive."
"For decades, TNC in Michigan has worked with the people of this Great Lakes state to protect the rivers, lakes and lands that are its natural heritage. We continue to pursue strategies that will help ensure the vitality of Michigan’s people, places and wildlife for generations to come."
"From restoring watersheds to ensuring all Great Lakers have affordable access to clean drinking water, the work at the GLRC convenes local voices so that habitats, wildlife, and people can thrive."
"Since 1967 the Michigan Chapter has organized the bold action of citizens working together to protect and restore our Great Lakes state’s health and heritage."
"The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats."
"Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research."
"Our mission is to interpret and conserve the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds and nature."
"The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation."
"The ABA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides leadership to birders by increasing their knowledge, skills, and enjoyment of birding. We are the only organization in North America that specifically caters to recreational birders. We also contribute to bird and bird habitat conservation through our varied programs."
"American Bird Conservancy is dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats and build capacity for bird conservation."
"Our mission is to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet."
"Huron Pines inspires community-driven change through our grass-roots efforts. We can see the organizational vision of conservation driven by engaged, empowered communities come to life in our work to protect Northern Michigan and the Great Lakes each day."
"Headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, The Stewardship Network (TSN) is an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a 20-year history of caring for our natural world. Through shared experiences, knowledge, and resources, we continue to build an ever larger and more impactful network of place-based collectives (TSN Member Communities) from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean doing the most important work of our lifetimes."