Field guides

Wildlife photography field guides

Settings, lenses and timing for the animals photographers love most.

Field guides#

Birds (485)Songbirds, raptors, waterfowl, shorebirds… Mammals (123)Deer, bears, foxes, squirrels, seals… Birds in flight settings1/2500 s+, tracking AF Wildlife settingsLong lenses, fieldcraft
Mallard MallardAnas platyrhynchos Great Blue Heron Great Blue HeronArdea herodias American Robin American RobinTurdus migratorius Canada Goose Canada GooseBranta canadensis White-tailed Deer White-tailed DeerOdocoileus virginianus Northern Cardinal Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis Eastern Gray Squirrel Eastern Gray SquirrelSciurus carolinensis Red-tailed Hawk Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis House Finch House FinchHaemorhous mexicanus House Sparrow House SparrowPasser domesticus Mourning Dove Mourning DoveZenaida macroura Red-winged Blackbird Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus

About these guides#

Each guide combines iNaturalist observation data (to show when a species is most often seen across North America) with field-craft notes by family and calculations of the focal length you need for the animal's size. StingPhotography.com began life as a nature-photography site focused on the birds of Northern Nevada; these guides continue that spirit for every photographer.

Wildlife photography ethics#

  • The welfare of the animal comes first: if it changes its behaviour because of you, you are too close.
  • Stay on trails, respect closures around nests, leks, dens and haul-outs.
  • Avoid playback and baiting in sensitive seasons; never bait predators.
  • Don't share precise locations of rare, nesting or roosting animals publicly.

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources