Glacier National Park

Glacier provides a wonderful opportunity to birdwatch, with plenty of spaces for birders of all ages to sit, listen, and observe the sights and sounds of nature. With 279 documented species including raptors, songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl, the park’s variation in elevation and habitat types contribute to a high diversity of bird life.

View wildlife across Glacier National Park's vast landscapes. The diversity of habitat types creates opportunities for a wide range of animals. Find more information on everything from the large and majestic elk of the prairies, to the small stonefly of glacier-fed streams on Glacier National Park's website.

The American dipper is a stocky, round-bodied bird with grayish-brown feathers, a dark bill, and long, pale legs. The bird gets its name from bobbing up and down while standing, a funny but easily identifying trait. They sing a high-pitched song that is a series of whistled phrases, each repeated two to four times with a buzzy call that sounds similar to “dzeet.”

Martes americana The American marten, also called a pine marten, is part of the weasel family. Pine martens have short limbs and a long, bushy tail. They are light to dark brown or black with a throat patch that is an irregular shape and size, with ranges in color from buff to bright orange.

Evening programs are a chance for rangers to help visitors find amazing meaning in specific park resources.

Bats are part of the mammalian order Chiroptera, which is ancient Greek for "hand wing." There are over 1,200 species of bats worldwide, with 9 species that call Glacier National Park home. All of Glacier's bat species are insectivores (insect-eaters).

Glacier is home to two species of bears: grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) and black bears (Ursus americanus). Both species come in a range of colors from black to brown, reddish, or blond.

The North American beaver is the second largest rodent in the world behind the Capybara of South America. Found throughout the U.S. and Canada, these semiaquatic ecosystem engineers constuct dams and lodges that affect the hydrology and ecology of their surroundings. As a keystone species, their presence in riparian habitats affects all neighboring animal and plant life.

Bighorn sheep live in a variety of habitats throughout the year. During the summer, they can be found in meadows, fellfields, and on mid-elevation slopes bordered by cliffs and ledges. In the winter, sheep frequent windswept and south-facing valleys and ridges where forage is blown free of snow. Bighorn sheep can often be seen in the parking lot of Logan Pass licking antifreeze from the pavement, which is the most easily accessible source of salt in their diet.