Floating along the river provides one of the best opportunities to view Missouri’s wildlife, because it’s easy to remain silent while covering a large area of land. Observing wild animals is usually guaranteed while out on the river, for any length of time, but if you’re lucky, you may just notice a rare endangered species. In order to identify any of these animals, you would need to be aware of how to recognize them. I’m here to give you a description of several of these beautiful animals so that you can possibly spot one on a future hike, camp, or float trip.
Birds
Although there are many different types of birds throughout Missouri, we picked three of the rarest that you may be able to spot on your next hike or float!
Blue-Winged Teal– These very small ducks have black bills and migrate through the Midwest in spring and fall. They grow up to 15 inches in length and weigh about a pound. The female is gray and brown with a light blue stripe on its wings. The male has brown spots on his chest and his head has a white bow-shaped stripe directly in front of the eyes and down the front of its face. Like the females, they also 
have a light blue patch on their wings.
Green-Winged Teal– These beautiful ducks can be seen anytime of the year and grow to a length of 14.5 inches with a 24 inch wingspan. The female is completely brown in color, with a green patch on each wing. The male has a brown head with a green bow-shaped stripe over each eye and down the head. There is a white strip in front of, and perpendicular to, the wings. The males also have a yellowish brown tail and gray body with the same green patch on the wings, like their female counterparts.
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron– This is a rare water bird which may be seen in the summer. It’s purple gray in color, with a sharp white and black face, and an elegant yellow plume that flows off the back of its head. This bird is not as slender as the typical heron and may be spotted on lowlands of the river.
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Mammals
Whether they’re visiting you on a hike, at a campsite, or on the river, you’ll want to look out for these rare mammals that could possibly appear on your next Missouri float trip!
Black Bear– The smallest bear native to North America is the Black. It’s medium in size, black and brown in color, and is the most widely dispersed bear in the country. While it’s very rare to see them in Missouri, occasionally one may be spotted.
Spotted Skunk– This little creature is black with double uniform white stripes down the neck and also alongside the back, along with spots closer to the rump. This species is smaller than his cousin the striped skunk. Males are somewhat heavier than females but are on average 6% longer and look very similar in color.
Red, Indiana, Gray, and Silver Haired Bats– While the chances of seeing any bat during the day is unlikely, these four different types of bats are rarely ever seen in the Missouri, even at night. Each of these bats looks similar to the average brown bat, but they have their own unique individual characteristics which set them apart. The red bat has a rusty tint to its brown body, sometimes even a yellowish color. The Indiana bat has dark brown to black fur and biologists can tell them apart by their foot structure and differences in fur color. The gray bat is the largest of its species and has dark uniform gray fur. The silver haired bat has dark brown black hair that is tipped with silver, giving it an icy appearance.
Keep your eyes peeled and remember always be respectful of the wildlife!
