iNaturalist Canada

iNaturalist.ca and the iNaturalist app work in tandem allowing anyone to record and share what they see in nature, connect with other nature watchers, and learn about Canada’s wildlife. The invaluable network of everyday people turned citizen scientists continues to build as we explore every corner of our country.

By simply snapping a picture or making a sound recording, anyone with a mobile device or digital camera can contribute to a growing wealth of knowledge about Canadian species and help conserve our natural world.

The discoveries made by the community are available to all Canadians to foster an understanding and appreciation of the wealth of biodiversity just outside our door. iNaturalist.ca is a tool that makes it easy to learn. Not sure what that odd looking insect is? iNaturalist can instantly identify more than 100,000 species…and it’s amazingly accurate. Observations are then reviewed by experts in the iNaturalist community to help confirm the identification. You can look up what species have been seen nearby and keep track of all your sightings with your personal species list.

With the help of hundreds of thousands of amazing contributors, we are building a living record of life in Canada. This valuable data ends up in the hands of decision makers, teachers and academics to further the cause of conserving our wildlife and inspiring our youth and communities to do the same.

iNaturalist is like using Pokémon Go, except your goal is to find wildlife observations. Join us during the 10^th anniversary of iNaturalist.ca as we take a cross Canada nature selfie of biodiversity in Canada!

Become part of a movement dedicated to tracking biodiversity right across Canada through use of the iNaturalist Canada platform. Head to iNaturalist.ca to register your free account, or download the free app on your favourite mobile device to create your account. Once you’ve signed up, simply join the CWF Observation Nation project. Then use iNaturalist to upload your observations of nature or use your knowledge to identify species. You’ll become an instant contributor to our CWF Observation Nation initiative. So far, nearly 18 million species observations have been made in Canada. And to celebrate the 10th anniversary of iNaturalist.ca, we’re hoping to hit 20 million with your help!

No species is too big or too small. Whether it’s a tiny bug or a towering tree, record an observation through iNaturalist and you’re contributing to an active database of biodiversity – a “nature selfie” of Canada’s wild species.

Join the CWF Observation Nation project and you could win prizes for observing and identifying species no matter where you are in Canada. Be part of an ever-increasing push by wildlife enthusiasts to track Canada’s natural diversity coast to coast to coast! Join CWF Observation Nation today and help us reach 20 million wildlife observations!

Help the Canadian Wildlife Federation track biodiversity across Canada by joining our projects. Learn from scientists, contribute to research and connect to the world around you by observing wildlife. Simply click ‘join’ in one of our projects and begin uploading photos or sound recordings to iNaturalist.ca.

• Millions of observations in Canada documenting tens of thousands of different species!
• The Monarch Butterfly (an Endangered species in Canada) is one of the most observed species in iNaturalist.ca (this list includes the Grey Squirrel, the Mallard Duck and the Canada Goose).
• The discovery of an endangered snail thought to have disappeared from most of Canada.
• The only recorded observation of the Oryttus gracilis wasp in the word in iNaturalist
• The federal species at risk assessment of the Valley Grasshopper used iNaturalist data (amongst others) in determining its endangered status
• Tracking of the surge of Green Worm, an invasive species which is starting to show up in new areas. Participants in the 2025 City Nature Challenge found the first occurrences in Calgary AB and Welland, ON

When you use iNaturalist Canada, you're connected with a community of scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about wildlife around you! What’s more, by recording and sharing your verified observations, you create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.

If you're not sure where to start on your journey with iNaturalist Canada, take a walk down our pathway that helps direct you on your iNaturalist Canada journey.

Working with the folks at iNaturalst.org, I've been the lead at the Canadian Wildlife Federation in the creation of iNaturalist.ca, along with our partners Parks Canada and NatureServe Canada. I work on various species at risk and biodiversity projects at CWF, including turtle recovery work, rare (mostly plant) species surveys, citizen science and years ago got my feet wet (literally and figuratively) with vegetation surveys in eastern Ontario. I know a little about a little when compared to the vast number of species we have in this country! But I love getting out to explore and expand my knowledge as often as I can.

“I’m so inspired by the number of Canadians exploring our vast country to build an ever-growing account of life in Canada. From beginners to experts, young and old, together we’re able to accomplish something scientists could never have done on their own.”