Animals

 

Between the Birthplace and Boyhood Home units, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical park is home to a variety of birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish and crustaceans.

Wildlife can be seen in the cultural sections of the park, but many of these species live and feed in the more secluded areas, such as forests, grassland fields, and creeks. We encourage you to go outside, and enjoy nature. Our hiking trails are a great way to spot park animals and wildlife.

 

A frog at near the Sinking Spring.

NPS, Jessica Parrish

Ranger Jess’s Top Tips for Viewing Wildlife at the Park:

• Stay on the path- walking off the trail can damage and disturb wildlife habitat
• Look all around you- up in the trees, down on the ground, and under the water
• Listen for rustling leaves, buzzing, flapping wings, animal calls, and bird songs
• Use binoculars to watch animals from afar
• Maintain a safe distance- if they react to your presence, you are probably too close
• Be respectful- never chase or pick up wildlife (baby animals are often being watched from afar by their mother)
• Challenge yourself- try to identify what kind of animal you are watching and what that animal might eat
• Take pictures- we love seeing our visitor’s photos!

 

Animal Pages

• 

  Butterflies

  Learn about the butterflies at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace.

• 

  Amphibians

  Hop into learning about the amphibians of the park.

• 

  Mammals

  Mammals big and small.

• 

  Birds

  Discover some of the amazing birds in the area, and come birdwatch inside of the park!

• 

  Reptiles

  Turtles, lizards, snakes, and more.

• 

  Pollinators

  Learn more about pollinators, and the ways that you can help them.

 

 

 

Hiking Trails

 

×

Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

---

Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

---

Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

---

Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

×

List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.