---
title: "Witstaarthert"
description: "Odocoileus virginianus — Zoogdieren. The white-tailed deer, also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North and South America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/white-tailed-deer
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Witstaarthert

> Odocoileus virginianus — Zoogdieren. The white-tailed deer, also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North and South America.

- Scientific name: *Odocoileus virginianus*
- Category: `mammals` (Zoogdieren)
- Habitats: `forest` (Bos), `grassland` (Weiden en velden), `urban` (Steden en tuinen), `savanna` (Savanne)
- iNaturalist observations: 422672
- Wikidata: [Q215887](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q215887)
- iNaturalist taxon: [42223](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42223)

## Names

- en: White-tailed Deer
- de: Weißwedelhirsch
- es: Venado de cola blanca
- fr: Cerf de Virginie
- nl: Witstaarthert
- pt: Cariacu
- pl: Mulak białoogonowy

## Countries with the most observations

US (325710), CA (48800), MX (9145), CR (1856), EC (1326), CO (1124), FI (673), PA (436), GT (253), VI (226), NZ (119), BZ (108)

## Summary

The white-tailed deer, also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North and South America. It is the most widely distributed mainland ungulate herbivore in the Americas; coupled with its natural predator, the mountain lion, it is one of the most widely distributed terrestrial mammal species in the Americas and the world. Highly adaptable, the various subspecies of white-tailed deer inhabit many different ecosystems, from arid grasslands to the Amazon and Orinoco basins; from the Llanos to the high-elevation terrain of the Andes.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer

## Photo

![Witstaarthert](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/white-tailed-deer/medium.jpg)

Photo: Andy Wilson · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16376548

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/white-tailed-deer?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).