Only in Your State | New Mexico | by Juliet White | Revised by Jaymi Firestone
New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the U.S., encompassing more than 121,000 square miles—more than the states of Mississippi and Washington combined. So there’s no shortage of habitat for the 500 species of birds, 150 species of mammals, and 123 species of reptiles and amphibians that call New Mexico home.
The roadrunner, as you know, is New Mexico’s state bird. As their name suggests, they are fast—zipping around at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. In fact, they’re so quick that they are able to successfully hunt rattlesnakes! That takes some quick speed if you’ve ever been around an angry, coiled Rattler.
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Socorro, serves as a stopover point for many migrating birds, such as these sandhill cranes. Some sandhill cranes have a wingspan of over five feet! They are not native to New Mexico, but can often be found in these areas around the state. They’re large but beautifully graceful birds.
Snow geese pause at Bosque del Apache too. The photographer, Kevin Eddy, snapped this picture shortly before a coyote (native to New Mexico) hunted one of these geese for a meal.
The great blue heron, which is the biggest heron in North America, is also found in New Mexico in places much like the other migratory birds mentioned previously.
Beautiful birds are obviously not the only wildlife found in our state. There are plenty of large cats native to New Mexico as well, including the elusive bobcat. This particular image was spied at Bosque del Apache, where birds are plenty and even small game, like mice and prairie dogs can be found and are part of a bobcat’s diet. These felines can leap up to ten feet in order to pounce on prey. They may be a smaller species of big cats, but they don’t lack power!
Animals like those listed above are often only seen in wildlife refuges or off the beaten path. Hawks can be seen all over the state though, even when driving down one of our long stretches of highway. One species native to NM are northern harriers. The females and young northern are brown in color, whereas males have gray and white plumage.
When hunting, these sly, graceful birds of prey skim above grasslands and marshes and use their incredible sense of hearing to detect prey they cannot see.
Cougars, or Mountain Lions as many of us know them, are native to the mountainous regions of New Mexico, and are known as fierce hunters. Mule Deer, which are abundant, are one of their most hunted prey. Mountain lions can be found in areas where the largest population of mule deer reside. They have been known to attack people when they’ve gotten too close, so it’s important to be careful in the rougher, mountain areas when hiking, etc.
Not only do we have an abundance of deer, but elk, bighorn sheep, and Pronghorn antelope call New Mexico home as well. When running at full speed, pronghorn antelope can travel almost 60 miles per hour. The herd pictured was roaming the plains of San Agustin.
There are many wildlife refuges around the state, including the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, which is on the Central Flyway, a migration path for birds. Plenty of other animals, such as this collared lizard, live there as well, and become prey to some of the larger birds that stop in during their migration. They are fascinating little lizards, and quick as to avoid being caught by a flyover bird seeking an easy meal.
There are several species of foxes, coyotes, wolves, bears, snakes and other animals that also call New Mexico home, and with our vast mountain regions and grasslands, there is plenty of habitat for them to roam. In fact, New Mexico’s wildlife numbers outweigh our human population by thousands. It’s a true outdoorsman’s paradise, and a state we should all feel blessed to call home.
