Find Nature In Montana

Additional Wildlife of Montana

To flesh out your understanding of the region’s natural history, here is a breakdown of the specific taxa you can expect to encounter in the Treasure State.

Birds (Avifauna) The Western Meadowlark is the state bird, its bubbling song defining the open spaces of the eastern plains. Trumpeter Swans—the heaviest flying bird in North America—have their primary lower-48 stronghold in the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. In the fast-moving mountain streams of Glacier, the Harlequin Duck breeds; these sea ducks migrate inland from the Pacific to swim in the wildest whitewater, feeding on aquatic insects.

Mammals The Wolverine (Gulo gulo) is the phantom of the Montana high country. These solitary mustelids require deep spring snowpack for their dens, making them a climate-sensitive species restricted to the highest peaks of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier Park. Grizzly Bears are more numerous here than anywhere else in the lower 48, with the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem acting as a critical source population for recovery efforts. The Pronghorn is ubiquitous on the eastern plains, often seen racing alongside cars on rural highways.

Insects Montana is the spiritual home of fly fishing, and the Salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) is the celebrity insect. This massive stonefly hatches in early summer, causing a feeding frenzy among trout that draws anglers from around the world. On the plains, the Mormon Cricket (actually a shield-backed katydid) can form massive swarms that march across the landscape, consuming everything in their path, a phenomenon that has occurred for centuries.

Plants The Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) is the state flower and holds immense cultural significance for the Salish people. It grows in dry, gravelly soil and produces a stunning pink flower on the ground, with a nutritious taproot that was a staple food source. Beargrass is the visual icon of Glacier National Park; not a grass but a lily, it produces a massive, cream-colored plume of flowers that bears purportedly use for nesting material. Huckleberries are the premier wild fruit of the western mountains, fueling both bears and humans in late summer.

Fungi Montana is famous for its Fire Morels. In the years following large wildfires in the coniferous forests, massive flushes of morel mushrooms appear in the scorched earth, thriving on the released nutrients. Whitebark Pine Blister Rust is a critical fungal issue here; this invasive pathogen is decimating the high-elevation Whitebark Pines, which produce the seeds that grizzly bears rely on to fatten up for winter.

Montana Biodiversity Profile

Montana is ecologically defined by the Continental Divide, which splits the state into two distinct biological nations. To the west lies the Northern Rockies, a landscape of steep, glaciated peaks and deep, moisture-rich valleys influenced by Pacific weather patterns. This region is anchored by Glacier National Park, known as the “Crown of the Continent.” Here, the ecosystem is intact enough to support the full guild of native carnivores, including wolves, grizzlies, and lynx. The hydrography is unique; Triple Divide Peak sends water to three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Arctic (via Hudson Bay).

To the east of the divide, the mountains crash abruptly into the Great Plains along the Rocky Mountain Front. This geological wall is one of the most dramatic biological ecotones in the world, where grizzly bears wander out of the limestone cliffs to forage in the prairie grasses. The eastern two-thirds of the state is “Big Sky Country,” a vast expanse of shortgrass prairie and sagebrush steppe.

Breaking up the monotony of the plains are the Missouri River Breaks. This rugged, badlands-like landscape is carved by the Missouri River and was historically a major barrier to travel. The “Breaks” are a sanctuary for elk and bighorn sheep in an otherwise flat landscape. The river itself here hosts ancient, pallid sturgeon, a dinosaur-era fish that has survived for millions of years in the turbid, silt-laden waters.

In the southwest, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem spills over the border. This high-elevation plateau is a volcanic landscape of lodgepole pine and geothermal basins, serving as the primary corridor for bison and elk migrating out of Yellowstone Park in the winter.