American Animals Iowa and Kansas

Wildlife In Iowa

Iowa is a mid-western US state known for its corn and yearly state fair. Major rivers in the state are the Mississippi, Big Sioux, and Missouri. A great deal of the state is farmland and there are some rolling hills.

The official state bird is the American goldfinch with lovely yellow feathers living in open woods, orchards, and suburban and marshy areas.

Wild Animals in Iowa

The common animals you can find in the state live in forested areas and include white-tail deer, gray foxes, red foxes, coyotes, and bobcats.

Native small mammals living there are opossums, otters, muskrats, and the strange but adorable eastern mole.

There are many rivers, lakes, and streams in the state and it is the only US state completely bordered by two major rivers. In the rivers and lakes, you can find catfish, walleye, and crappies.

Living along the shorelines are river otters, turtles, bullfrogs, ospreys, and swans.

Among the waterfowl are blue-winged teals, mallards, and cranes.

One of the best-known birds in Iowa is the bobolink which is a grassland prairie bird with black and white coloring. The only land bird with this plumage color it is one of the rarest birds in the country.

Even though moose and mountain lions are not native to Iowa they can be seen in some parts having come from neighboring states.

Rodents native to the state include the eastern chipmunk, white-footed mouse, eastern squirrels, and deer mice.

There are small mammals like the northern short-tailed shrew and the prairie vole.

The state has nine bat species among them the little brown bat which is one of the rarest bat species in the country.

Snakes in Iowa

The state has 28 different snake species. The majority are non-venomous. Among the venomous snakes are copperheads, prairie rattlesnakes, massasauga rattlesnakes, and timber rattlesnakes.

Among the non-venomous are brown snakes, western fox snakes, and common garter snakes.

Pike’s Peak State Park is Iowa's first state park. It is a great place for hiking and wildlife viewing. The park is located where the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers meet There are great river views and you can see fish, waterfowl, and wildlife.

Manawa Lake State Park has one of the largest lakes in the state.

Here you can see pelicans, ducks, and geese, The lake is also a favorite nesting place for bald eagles.

Goose Lake Wildlife Area is a public park ideal for birders and wildlife watchers.

Birds here include sandhill cranes, wild turkeys, and pheasants.

You might spot rodents and small mammals like muskrats, otters, and opossums.

Endangered Animals in Iowa

Trumpeter swans were endangered through hunting and wetland drainage, There are over 100 nesting pairs in Iowa and conservation efforts continue.

Pesticides greatly harmed ospreys in the 1950s. In recent years their numbers have grown and conservation groups have reintroduced ospreys to the waterways.

Bald eagles also suffered from pesticides and illegal hunting, Today there are eagle nests along the Mississippi River and the giant birds spend winter hunting on the river.

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is a small snake living in wet prairies, grasslands, and wetlands. It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Wildlife of Kansas

Kansas is a Midwestern US state with mostly flat land and a few rolling hills. In the eastern part are rocky cliffs and dense forests. The state is known as the Sunflower State and has four distinct seasons. Its major rivers are the Missouri, Smoky Hill, and Arkansas Rivers.

Official State Animal

Bison

Official State Bird

Western Meadowlark

Places to see wildlife

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve with tallgrass prairie as primary grazing ground for bison.

Other animals include bobcats, coyotes, and badgers.

Among birds are owls and Eastern Meadowlarks.

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is a large preserve with wetlands, marshlands, and dunes covered with prairie grasses.

It is a good place to see shorebirds like whooping cranes, snowy plovers, least terns, American white pelicans, and Swainson's hawks.

There are also squirrels, Eastern wood rats, raccoons, muskrats, and pocket gophers.

Cimarron National Grassland has been named one of the top 100 places for birding in the US by the American Birding Association. There are cliffs, rivers, and lakes.

It is an important breeding site for long-billed curlews, sparrows, mountain plovers, and golden eagles.

Other wildlife include elk, antelopes, and coyotes.

Great Plains toads, box turtles, and the Northern earless lizards.