Oklahoma Habitats, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles

Oklahoma has a wide range of habitats from rocky mountain foothills, forests, rivers, short and mixed grass prairies, and scrublands to bald cypress swamps. These diverse wild communities provide homes for many kinds of wildlife. 

Forests
Oklahoma has at least 5 kinds of forests, but the majority are oak-hickory forests providing food, cover and nesting sites for many wildlife species.

• In the southeastern corner of Oklahoma, there are more than five million acres of southern oak-pine forests and smaller regions of bald cypress and willow oaks.A refuge that has preserved a remnant of this wild habitat is the 15,000 acre Little River National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge includes most of the remaining bottomland hardwood habitat in southeastern Oklahoma. It is low, wet habitat with old oxbow lakes and sloughs interspersed in the bottomland hardwood forest made up of willow oak, sweetgum, cypress, white oak, and holly. Some areas on higher ground support loblolly pine, hickory, and walnut.

• In the center of the state are dense, tangled patches of tough, drought-resistant post and blackjack oaks.

• Along the state's rivers are fertile bottomland hardwoods including elms, pecans and a wide variety of oaks.

• The northeast part of the state has pin oaks and hardwoods.

• In the Panhandle (northwest) are about 2,000-acres with piñon pines and junipers. These are savanna-like forests – often called scrub or brush lands.

Wetlands
Oklahoma has many different kinds of wetlands too.

• In the central and western parts of the state are Riparian Zones. These are flood plains that often have very wet soil that suits plants like rushes, sedges, willows, cottonwood, and tamarisk.

• Oklahoma's Swamps, Bogs, and Marshes are found mostly in the southeastern part of the state. The soil is wet and often covered in standing water during the growing season. This is where you would find rushes, sedges, bald cypress, overcup oak, and willow oak.

• Oklahoma's Oxbow Lakes are old river and stream channels that have been cut off from the main channel to form small lakes with floating aquatic plants and surrounded by green ash and willow trees. A refuge that has preserved a remnant of this wild habitat is the 9,600 acre Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge has lush hardwood forests surrounding oxbow lakes, with a meandering river winding through bottomland forests. Upland prairies and forests make up the habitat remnants of this vanishing Oklahoma ecosystem.

• Closed Depressions are wet areas found throughout the state with high water tables. In wet years they are underwater. They are home to cattails, smartweeds, willows and buttonbush.

• Playa Lakes are found only on the high plains of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Forested Wetlands are found on the flood plains in the eastern third of Oklahoma. Their wet soils support rushes, sedges, pin oak, Shumard oak, bur oak and green ash.
 
Grasslands
• Oklahoma has a lot of grasslands. Tallgrass prairies are found in the north and eastern parts of the state.

• Western Oklahoma has mixed grass prairie, a rich grassland of bluestem, western wheatgrass, and grama grasses. These grasses mix with taller grasses in the wetter areas and shorter grasses in the drier areas. Preserves have been set up to protect the remaining grassland prairies.

• The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a 39,000-acre property of the Nature Conservancy with free-ranging buffalo.

• The Black Kettle National Grasslands, in western Oklahoma, is in the Anadarko Basin (oil rich), so shares its expanse with oil and gas wells, as well as free-roaming cattle.

A refuge that has preserved a remnant of this wild habitat is the 4,333 acre Optima National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is made up of grasslands and wooded bottomland dominated by mature cottonwood and tallgrass prairie species such as big and little bluestem, land Indian grass. Shortgrass prairie species such as buffalo grass, blue gramma, sandsage and yucca are found at the higher elevations.

For a list of Oklahoma's Refuges go to: LINK

antelope (pronghorn) - rare
armadillo (nine-banded)
badger
Bat (big brown)
bat (big free-tailed)
bat (Brazilian free-tailed)
bat (cave myotis)
bat (eastern pipistrelle)
bat (eastern red)
bat (gray myotis)
bat (hoary)
bat (Indiana myotis)
bat (little brown)
bat (northern myotis)
bat (Ozark big-eared bat)
bat (pallid)
bat (Rafinesque's big-eared bat)
bat (Semiole)
bat (silver-haired)
bat (small-footed)
bat (western pipistrelle)
bat (Yuma myotis)
bear (black)
beaver (American)
bobcat
chipmunk (Colorado)
chipmunk (eastern)
coyote
deer (mule)
deer (white-tailed)
elk
fox (gray)
fox (red)
fox (swift)
ground squirrel (thirteen-lined)
ground squirrel (spotted)
jaguar - rare
jackrabbit (black-tailed)
jumping mouse (meadow)
kangaroo rat (Ord's)
kangaroo rat (Texas)
lemming (southern bog)
mole (eastern)
mountain lion
mouse (brush)
mouse (cotton)
mouse (deer)
mouse (eastern harvest)
mouse (fulvous harvest)
mouse (golden)
mouse (house)
mouse (northern grasshopper)
mouse (northern pygmy)
mouse (pinon)
mouse (plains harvest)
mouse (rock)
mouse (Texas)
mouse (western harvest)
mouse (white-ankled)
mouse (white-footed)
mink
mountain lion - rare
muskrat
nutria
ocelot - rare
opossum
otter (river)
pocket gopher (Botta's)
pocket gopher (plains)
pocket gopher (yellow-faced)
pocket mouse (hispid)
pocket mouse (plains)
pocket mouse (silky)
porcupine
prairie dog (black-tailed)
rabbit (eastern cottontail)
rabbit (desert cottontail)
rabbit (swamp)
raccoon
rat (black)
rat (hispid cotton)
rat (marsh rice)
rat (Norway)
ringtail
shrew (Elliot's short-tailed)
shrew (desert)
shrew (least)
shrew (short-tailed)
shrew (southeastern)
skunk (eastern spotted)
skunk (hog-nosed)
skunk (striped)
skunk (western spotted)
squirrel (eastern fox)
squirrel (eastern gray)
squirrel (rock)
squirrel (southern Flying)
vole (prairie)
vole (woodland)
weasel (long-tailed)
woodchuck
woodrat (Mexican)
woodrat (southern plains)
woodrat (white-throated)

For more about Oklahoma's mammals (including Latin names) click on individual animal links or for another (off-site) resource: LINK

Amphibians:
Amphiuma (3-toed)
bullfrog (American)
frog (boreal chorus)
frog (Cajun chorus)
frog (crawfish)
frog (cricket)
frog (green)
frog (plains leopard)
frog (southern leopard)
frog (Strecker's chorus)
frog (wood)
mudpuppy (red river)
newt (central)
salamander (barred tiger)
salamander (cave)
salamander (dark-sided)
salamander (eastern tiger)
salamander (four-toed)
salamander (grotto)
salamander (kiamichi slimy)
salamander (many-ribbed)
salamander (marbled)
salamander (mole)
salamander (Oklahoma)
salamander (Ouachita dusky)
salamander (Ozark zigzag)
salamander (rich mountain)
salamander (ringed)
salamander (sequoyah slimy)
salamander (smallmouth)
salamander (spotted)
salamander (southern red-backed)
salamander (western slimy)
siren (lesser)
spadefoot toad (Couch's)
spadefoot toad (Hurter's)
spadefoot toad (New Mexico)
spadefoot toad (plains spadefoot)
spring peeper
toad (American)
toad (eastern narrowmouth)
toad (great plains)
toad (great plains narrowmouth)
toad (green)
toad (red-spotted)
toad (Texas)
toad (Woodhouse's)
treefrog (bird-voiced)
treefrog (gray)
treefrog (green)

Reptiles
alligator (American)
anole (green)
gecko (Mediterranean)
lizard (collared)
lizard (desert side-blotched)
lizard (lesser earless)
lizard (prairie fence)
lizard (roundtail horned)
lizard (Texas horned)
lizard (western slender grass)
racerunner (six-lined)
skink (broadhead)
skink (coal)
skink (five-lined)
skink (great plains)
skink (ground)
skink (prairie)
snake (black-necked garter)
snake (black western rat)
snake (blind)
snake (blotched water)
snake (broad-banded)
snake (bull)
snake (coachwhip)
snake (common garter)
snake (copperhead)
snake (diamondback watersnake)
snake (eastern hognose)
snake (flat-headed)
snake (glossy)
snake (glossy crayfish)
snake (Graham's crayfish)
snake (great plains ratsnake)
snake (ground)
snake (lined)
snake (milk)
snake (northern redbelly)
snake (northern watersnake)
snake (plains black-headed)
snake (prairie kingsnake)
snake (racer)
snake (ring-necked)
snake (rough earth)
snake (rough greensnake)
snake (scarlet)
snake (smooth Earth)
snake (speckled kingsnake)
snake (Texas brown)
snake (Texas longnose)
snake (wandering garter)
snake (western cottomouth) (water moccasin) *Added by request from snake man, Joe Pawloski (thanks, Joe).
snake (western mud)
snake (western ribbon)
snake (western worm)
turtle (alligator snapping)
turtle (chicken)
turtle (common map)
turtle (common snapping)
turtle (painted)
turtle (Mississippi map)
turtle (Mississippi mud)
turtle (ornate box)
turtle (Ouachita map)
turtle (razorback musk)
turtle (red-eared slider)
turtle (smooth softshell)
turtle (spiney softshell)
turtle (stinkpot)
turtle (three-toed box)
turtle (yellow mud)
whiptail (checkered)
whiptail (Texas spotted)

For more about Oklahoma's amphibians and retiles (including Latin names), click on individual animal links or for another (off-site) resource:  LINK

avocet (American)
anhinga
ani (groove-billed)
bittern (American)
bittern (least)
blackbird (Brewer's)
blackbird (rusty)
blackbird (yellow-headed)
bluebird (eastern)
bluebird (mountain)
bluebird (western)
bobolink
bobwhite (northern)
bunting (indigo)
bunting (lark)
bunting (lazuli)
bunting (painted)
bunting (snow)
bushtit
caracara (crested)
cardinal (northern)
catbird (gray)
chat (yellow-breasted)
chickadee (black-capped)
chickadee (Carolina)
chickadee (mountain)
chuck-will's-widow
coot (American)
cormorant (double-crested)
cormorant (neotropic)
cowbird (bronzed)
cowbird (brown-headed)
cowbird (shiny)
crane (sandhill)
crane (whooping)
creeper (brown)
crossbill (red)
crossbill (white-winged)
crow (American)
crow (fish)
cuckoo (black-billed)
cuckoo (yellow-billed)
curlew (long-billed)
dickcissel
dove (band-tailed)
dove (common ground)
dove (Inca)
dove (mourning)
dove (rock)
dove (white-winged)
dowitcher (long-billed)
dowitcher (short-billed)
duck (American wigeon)
duck (Baikal teal)
duck (black)
duck (black scoter)
duck (canvasback)
duck (Barrow's goldeneye)
duck (black-bellied whistling)
duck (blue-winged teal)
duck (bufflehead)
duck (cinnamon teal)
duck (common goldeneye)
duck (Eurasian wigeon)
duck (fulvous whistling)
duck (gadwall)
duck (garganey)
duck (green-winged teal)
duck (greater scaup)
duck (lesser scaup)
duck (long-tailed)
duck (mallard)
duck (northern pintail)
duck (northern shoveler)
duck (redhead)
duck (ring-necked)
duck (ruddy)
duck (surf scoter)
duck (white-winged scoter)
duck (wood)
eagle (bald)
eagle (golden)
egret (cattle)
egret (great)
egret (reddish)
egret (snowy)
falcon (peregrine)
falcon (prairie)
finch (Cassin's)
finch (house)
finch (purple)
flicker (northern)
flycatcher (Acadian)
flycatcher (alder)
flycatcher (ash-throated)
flycatcher (Cordilleran)
flycatcher (dusky)
flycatcher (dusky-capped)
flycatcher (gray)
flycatcher (great-crested)
flycatcher (Hammond's)
flycatcher (least)
flycatcher (olive-sided)
flycatcher (scissor-tailed)
flycatcher (vermillion)
flycatcher (willow)
flycatcher (yellow-bellied)
frigatebird (great)
frigatebird (magnificent)
gallinule (common)
gallinule (purple)
godwit (Hudsonian)
godwit (marbled)
goldfinch (American)
goldfinch (lesser)
goose (barnacle)
goose (brant)
goose (cackling)
goose (Canada)
goose (greater white-fronted)
goose (Ross's)
goose (snow)
grackle (boat-tailed)
grackle (common)
grackle (great-tailed)
grèbe (Clark's)
grèbe (eared)
grèbe (horned)
grebe (least)
grèbe (pied-billed)
grèbe (red-necked)
grèbe (western)
gnatcatcher (blue-gray)
grosbeak (black-headed)
grosbeak (blue)
grosbeak (evening)
grosbeak (pine)
grosbeak (rose-breasted)
grouse (Gunnison sage)
grouse (sharp-tailed)
gull (Bonaparte’s)
gull (black-headed)
gull (California)
gull (Franklin's)
gull (glaucous)
gull (glaucous-winged)
gull (great black-backed)
gull (Heermann's)
gull (herring)
gull (Iceland)
gull (laughing)
gull (lesser black-backed)
gull (little)
gull (mew)
gull (ring-billed)
gull (Sabine's)
gull (Thayer's)
gyrfalcon
harrier (northern)
hawk (broad-winged)
hawk (Cooper's)
hawk (ferruginous)
hawk (gray)
hawk (Harris's)
hawk (northern goshawk)
hawk (red-shouldered)
hawk (red-tailed)
hawk (rough-legged)
hawk (sharp-shinned)
hawk (Swainson's)
heron (great blue)
heron (green)
heron (little blue)
heron (tri-colored)
heron (black-crowned night)
heron (yellow-crowned night)
horned lark
hummingbird (Anna's)
hummingbird (black-chinned)
hummingbird (broad-billed)
hummingbird (broad-tailed)
hummingbird (calliope)
hummingbird (green violetear)
hummingbird (ruby-throated)
hummingbird (rufous)
ibis (glossy)
ibis (white)
ibis (white-faced)
jabiru
jaeger (parasitic)
jaeger (pomarine)
jay (blue)
jay (gray)
jay (pinyon)
jay (Stellar's)
jay (western scrub)
kestrel (American)
killdeer
kingbird (Cassin's)
kingbird (eastern)
kingbird (western)
kingfisher (belted)
kingfisher (ringed)
kinglet (golden-crowned)
kinglet (ruby-crowned)
kite (Mississippi)
kite (swallow-tailed)
kite (white-tailed)
kittiwake (black-legged)
longspur (chestnut-collared)
longspur (Lapland)
longspur (McCown's)
longspur (Smith's)
loon (common)
loon (Pacific)
loon (red-throated)
loon (yellow-billed)
martin (purple)
meadowlark (eastern)
meadowlark (western)
merganser (common)
merganser (hooded)
merganser (red-breasted)
mockingbird (northern)
nighthawk (common)
nighthawk (lesser))
nutcracker (Clark's)
nuthatch (brown-headed)
nuthatch (pygmy)
nuthatch (red-breasted)
nuthatch (white-breasted)
oriole (Baltimore)
oriole (Bullock's)
oriole (orchard)
osprey
ovenbird
owl (barn)
owl (barred)
owl (great horned)
owl (eastern screech)
owl (long-eared)
owl (northern saw-whet)
owl (short-eared)
owl (snowy)
owl (western screech)
parakeet (monk)
pelican (American white)
pelican (brown)
phalarope (red)
phalarope (red-necked)
phalarope (Wilson's)
phainopepla
pheasant (ring-necked)
phoebe (eastern)
phoebe (Say's)
pine siskin
pipit (American)
pipit (Sprague's)
plover (American golden)
plover (black-bellied)
plover (mountain)
plover (piping)
plover (semipalmated)
plover (snowy)
plover (Wilson's)
poorwill (common)
prairie chicken (greater)
prairie chicken (lesser)
pyrrhuloxia
quail (scaled)
rail (black)
rail (king)
rail (Virginia)
rail (yellow)
raven (Chihuahuan)
raven (common)
red knot
redpoll (common)
redshank (spotted)
redstart (American)
roadrunner (greater)
robin (American)
ruddy turnstone
ruff
sanderling
sandpiper (Baird's)
sandpiper (buff-breasted)
sandpiper (curlew)
sandpiper (least)
sandpiper (pectoral)
sandpiper (purple)
sandpiper (semipalmated)
sandpiper (spotted)
sandpiper (stilt)
sandpiper (upland)
sandpiper (western)
sandpiper (white-rumped)
shrike (loggerhead)
shrike (northern)
solitaire (Townsend's)
sora
snipe  (Wilson's)
sparrow (American tree)
sparrow (Bachman's)
sparrow (Baird's)
sparrow (black-throated)
sparrow (Brewer's)
sparrow (Cassin's)
sparrow (chipping)
sparrow (clay-colored)
sparrow (field)
sparrow (fox)
sparrow (grasshopper)
sparrow (Harris's)
sparrow (Henslow's)
sparrow (house)
sparrow (lark)
sparrow (Le Conte's)
sparrow (Lincoln's)
sparrow (Nelson's)
sparrow (olive)
sparrow (rufous-crowned)
sparrow (sage)
sparrow (Savannah)
sparrow (song)
sparrow (swamp)
sparrow (vesper)
sparrow (white-throated)
spoonbill (roseate)
starling
stilt (black-necked)
stork (wood)
swallow (bank)
swallow (barn)
swallow (cave)
swallow (cliff)
swallow (northern rough-winged)
swallow (tree)
swallow (violet-green)
swan (mute)
swan (trumpeter)
swan (tundra)
swift (chimney)
swift (white-throated)
tanager (scarlet)
tanager (summer)
tanager (western)
tern (arctic)
tern (black)
tern (Caspian)
tern (common)
tern (forster's)
tern (least)
tern (royal)
thrasher (brown)
thrasher (curve-billed)
thrasher (sage)
thrush (gray-cheeked)
thrush (hermit)
thrush (Swainson's)
thrush (varied)
thrush (wood)
towhee (canyon)
towhee (eastern)
towhee (green-tailed)
towhee (spotted)
titmouse (black-crested)
titmouse (juniper)
titmouse (tufted)
verdin
vireo (Bell's)
vireo (black-capped)
vireo (blue-headed)
vireo (Cassin's)
vireo (gray)
vireo (Philadelphia)
vireo (plumbeous)
vireo (red-eyed)
vireo (warbling)
vireo (white-eyed)
vireo (yellow-throated)
vulture (black)
vulture (turkey)
warbler (bay-breasted)
warbler (blackburnian)
warbler (blackpoll)
warbler (black-throated blue)
warbler (black-throated gray)
warbler (black-throated green)
warbler (blue-winged)
warbler (Canada)
warbler (Cape May)
warbler (Cerulean)
warbler (chestnut-sided)
warbler (Connecticut)
warbler (Grace's)
warbler (golden-winged)
warbler (hooded)
warbler (Kentucky)
warbler (MacGillivray's)
warbler (magnolia)
warbler (mourning)
warbler (orange-crowned)
warbler (palm)
warbler (pine)
warbler (prairie)
warbler (prothonotary)
warbler (Swainson's)
warbler (Tennessee)
warbler (Townsend's)
warbler (Virginia's)
warbler (Wilson's)
warbler (worm-eating)
warbler (yellow)
warbler (yellow-rumped)
warbler (yellow-throated)
waterthrush (Louisiana)
waterthrush (northern)
waxwing (Bohemian)
waxwing (cedar)
wheatear (northern)
whimbrel
whip-poor-will (eastern)
willet
woodcock (American)
woodpecker (acorn)
woodpecker (downy)
woodpecker (golden-fronted)
woodpecker (hairy)
woodpecker (ladder-backed)
woodpecker (Lewis's)
woodpecker (pileated)
woodpecker (red-bellied)
woodpecker (red-cockaded)
woodpecker (red-headed)
woodpecker (red-naped)
woodpecker (yellow-bellied)
wren (Bewick's)
wren (cactus)
wren (canyon)
wren (Carolina)
wren (house)
wren (marsh)
wren (rock)
wren (sedge)
wren (winter)
yellowlegs (greater)
yellowlegs (lesser)
yellowthroat (common)

For more about Oklahoma's birds (including Latin names) click on individual animal links or for another (off-site) resource: LINK