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Expedition 🇺🇸 United States

Bobcat in United States

The bob-tailed ghost — a spotted wild cat named for the tail it barely has.

Bobcat

The species

The bobcat is America's small wild cat — about twice the size of a house cat, with tufted ears, spotted coat, and a short 'bobbed' tail that gives it its name. Elusive and mostly nocturnal, bobcats patrol forest edge and scrub across most of the continental US.

Habitat in United States

Bobcats range across the United States in forest, scrub, desert, and suburban edge wherever rabbits and rodents provide prey. They rest in thick cover by day and hunt at dawn and dusk, marking territories with scent and scratch marks on trees.

Where to spot one

  • Central Park

    New York City

    Urban ponds for mallards, pigeons on the paths, and sparrows in every shrub — a compact starter loop in Manhattan.

  • Golden Gate Park

    San Francisco

    Lakes, meadows, and tree cover where common birds and park wildlife turn an afternoon stroll into a discovery session.

  • Suburban Park Systems

    Nationwide

    Local green spaces across the US — pond edges, playground perimeters, and dog-walking trails where the everyday species gather.

  • Neighbourhood Streets

    Nationwide

    Front gardens, fence lines, and café patios — where house cats watch from walls and sparrows squabble over crumbs.

Conservation status

LC — Least Concern

Bobcats are Least Concern and have expanded their range in the eastern US as forest has regrown. They remain legally trapped for fur in many states but populations are stable nationally.

Keep exploring

Keep exploring

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