Early mornings and late evenings are premier times for wildlife viewing. Cades Cove is home to a variety of mammals, reptiles, and fish such as deer, black bears, bobcats, red wolves, red and gray foxes, mink, river otters, southern flying squirrels, bats, cottontail rabbits, southern box turtles, and a variety of bass and trout. Birding is a popular pastime for locals and visitors to Cades Cove; there are over 200 species of birds such as cardinals, eagles, turkey vultures, meadowlarks, owls, bluebirds, and hawks.