Watching wildlife in the winter

Depending on where you live, winter can mean snow-covered landscapes, long nights full of stars, frigid temps, and time for rest. Hibernating in winter is a great strategy for many, but what about those animals that spend winter busy and awake?

Many animals are active during the winter months, searching for food, finding mates, starting families, or moving across the landscape.

We’ve collected a few fascinating North American species below worth looking for in cold weather.

Bald eagles

If you’re near a body of water in winter, you should be on the lookout for bald eagles, as this is a great time to spot them through the trees as they perch and fish. They are active all winter and get busy around the time they start building their nests. Bald eagle nests are huge (some weigh up to a ton) and are usually 4 feet to 6 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep, so sometimes you’ll notice a nest before you’ll even spot eagles soaring. Look for them and their nests in old-growth trees. See more than one eagle? Sometimes in winter, bald eagles will perch together in massive numbers and form what are called communal roosts. Not ready to brave the cold? Find a bald eagle cam online to watch and stay warm the whole time.

River otters

When you’re a river otter, winter doesn’t slow you down! You’ve got to fish, fish, fish. Otters are active all year long and typically move between a few different locations. Talented swimmers, when on land, they run, walk, bound, and even slide! Most of the year, they are active at night, dawn, or dusk but they become more active during the day in the winter. Luckily, water levels in late winter usually drop below ice levels in frozen lakes and rivers, leaving a layer of air that lets river otters travel and hunt under the ice. River otters prefer habitats that have some ice coverage with nearby forests and wetlands—look for their tracks as they slide to get around in the snow.

Hooded mergansers

Winter is a great time to watch waterfowl! The only merganser that breeds exclusively in the United States, hooded mergansers are small fish-eating, diving ducks with dashing crests. Just like many duck species, they start pairing up during colder months and are more readily feeding out in the open. They can be seen swimming in groups or with mates, often busy courting for the upcoming nesting season. Dawn or early morning is the best time to look for hooded mergansers and most other waterfowl species. No matter where you are, winter brings a variety of waterfowl and fascinating ducks, so grab some binoculars and head to the nearest wetland, marsh, or open body of water and keep your eyes on the water.

Red foxes

In winter months, red foxes conserve energy and shift their diet to whatever is available. These stunning and adaptable animals are as comfortable in vast forested areas as they are in suburban neighborhoods. Often easier to spot at dawn and dusk, they do become more active during the day in winter. They can also be more vocal, with their alarming screeches in January and February when mating season usually peaks. Red foxes are expert hunters and use their excellent hearing and impressive leaps to hunt for mice and voles under the snow. They have thick coats and can sometimes be seen napping in the sunshine, with their tail covering their nose.

Barred owls

During the snowy season, you may just hear the barred owl calling—which sounds like it's saying, 'whooo cooks for you'—something they do to establish territory or find a mate. Scan the trees and look for a football-shaped silhouette and it may just be a barred owl! Winter’s bare trees allow for slightly easier owl spotting, or if you’re lucky you may see an owl swoop from one tree limb to another. Listen for calls and look for flashes of feathers, owls have silent flight thanks to serrations in their wing feathers and fringes in their tail feathers, so it’s easy to miss them.

White-tailed deer

While deer are active in winter, they still must conserve energy. A second stomach and close relationships help them get through tough weather. First, they move around less, staying put by taking shelter under trees or in thickets—especially during deep snow. Winter means survival mode, so they’ll shift their diet and eat woody parts of the plants (thanks to their ruminant, second stomach). Deer's digestive systems are specifically adapted to eating fibrous foods in the winter, like twigs and branches. Lastly, they’ll come together in family groups and bed down to stay warm. Like many of the animals we mention, deer are most commonly spotted at dawn and dusk. The white-tailed deer breeding season often peaks in mid-November and continues through the winter months. As a result, male deer can be active all day and a lot less cautious. Be on the lookout!

Bison

Our national mammal is a majestic, ice-covered survivor of the winter extremes. Bison have such well-insulated coats that the snow won't melt on their backs. They can survive storms by plopping down and staying put—making winter a good time to see these animals where they can be found. The muscles in their hump help power the side-to-side head motion they use like a snowplow, pushing aside snow to reach food underneath. This action, in turn, creates highways for other animals, like pronghorn, to move through deep snow. When foraging, their large heads and strong necks plow paths in the snow making it possible for other animals to reach grasses that would otherwise be out of reach. Sometimes, surviving winter means channeling your inner bison. Bison bring incredible benefits wherever they roam; that's why WWF partners with Native communities to restore bison to their lands.

Dark-eyed juncos

Dark-eyed juncos are loveably nicknamed snowbirds. For many, their return to an area is a sure and happy sign of winter. Distinguished by their white outer tailfeathers and darker bodies, they are often seen in large numbers picking at the ground, relatively unbothered by humans in parks and suburbia alike. Juncos are regular visitors to bird feeders and can gather in impressive-sized flocks. Look for them when you’re on a walk in the woods or near thick brush, as they prefer to take shelter in evergreens or bushes.

Bonus plant! Skunk cabbage

While you’re out exploring in winter and you notice purple or yellow flowers pushing through the snow, you have likely just come across skunk cabbage! One of the first flowering plants wherever it is found, the plant can generate its own heat through a process called thermogenesis. Found in damp areas and where there’s lots of shade, skunk cabbage is known for smelling a bit like rotting flesh, and it’s their distinct odor that attracts flies and other pollinators. Skunk cabbages have a deep and impressive root system, and this powers the plant and gives it the ability to flower so early. Both east and west-coast skunk cabbage rely on saturated and moist soils.

Tips for watching wildlife in winter

1. Give them plenty of space.
2. Be very quiet. You can hear them more easily this way and disturb them less.
3. Find a high place to observe them from.
4. Use binoculars, cameras, or scopes to see them up close without disturbing them.
5. You’ll have the best luck near water at dawn and dusk, but winter allows for daytime activity too!

Remember, disturbing wildlife too much could inadvertently cause them to burn the energy they really need. By following these tips, you reduce that risk but still get a chance to enjoy them. Though the winter season may seem slower, it offers a unique opportunity to appreciate nature’s quiet resilience and a world of wildlife activity.

Learn about WWF's work on wildlife conservation.