How to identify it
Usually black, especially in eastern North America; western animals are often brown, cinnamon or blonde, and some coastal British Columbia and Alaska bears are creamy white or bluish-grey. [1]
Pale muzzle contrasting with darker fur; sometimes a white chest spot. [1]
Compared with grizzly/brown bears: longer, less heavily furred ears, a smaller shoulder hump and a convex rather than concave (dished) facial profile. [1]
Males larger: males 47-409 kg, females 39-236 kg. [1]
Compared with the grizzly (brown) bear: The grizzly has a larger shoulder hump, shorter, furrier ears and a concave (dished) profile; colour alone is unreliable because black bears can be brown, cinnamon or blonde. [1]
Field notes
- Identification Black-bear coat colour ranges from black to cinnamon or brown. Colour alone cannot establish species where other bears overlap; use authoritative regional comparison guidance.[2]
Where it lives
Prime habitat is relatively inaccessible terrain with thick understorey and abundant fruit or nut crops: hardwood-conifer forest in the Northeast, oak-hickory and swampy lowlands in the Southeast, and chaparral and pinyon-juniper at 900-3,000 m in the Southwest. [1]
How it behaves
Generally active at dawn and dusk; near human food it may become daytime-active (roadsides) or nocturnal (campgrounds). [1]
Mostly solitary except females with cubs, summer breeding pairs and gatherings at concentrated food sources. [1]
Diet is mostly plant: grasses and forbs in spring, soft fruit in summer, and hard and soft mast in fall; animal food is mainly colonial insects and carrion. [1]
Spends winter in dens; cubs are born in January-February while the female is dormant. [1]
What changes by season
Bears enter dens for winter; timing and behaviour vary with latitude, food, sex and reproductive status. Never infer absence from season alone. [2]
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — hunting · 2026 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations
- British Columbia — hunting, trapping · 2026-2028 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis
- Manitoba — hunting, trapping · Manitoba Hunting Guide 2026
- New Brunswick — hunting · Hunt & Trap Regulations Summary 2026–2027
- Newfoundland and Labrador — hunting, trapping · 2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Guide
- Northwest Territories — hunting · NWT Summary of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, July 1 2022 - June 30 2023
- Nova Scotia — hunting, trapping · 2026 Hunting and Fur Harvesting Summary of Regulations
- Nunavut — hunting · Summary of the Nunavut Hunting Regulations 2021-2022
- Ontario — hunting, trapping · Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary — Black bear
- Québec — hunting, trapping · Périodes de chasse à l’ours noir 2026-2027
- Saskatchewan — hunting, trapping · Saskatchewan Hunters Guide 2026-27
- Alaska — hunting · 2026-2027 Alaska Hunting Regulations No. 67 (complete)
- Arizona — hunting · 2026-2027 Arizona Hunting Regulations
- Arkansas — hunting · 2026-27 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook (PDF)
- California — hunting · 2026-2027 California Mammal Hunting Regulations (updated July 1, 2026)
- Colorado — hunting · 2 CCR 406-2 Chapter W-2 Big Game (05/06/2026; eff. 2026-07-01)
- Florida — hunting · Florida black bear - 2026 bear hunt (FWC)
- Georgia — hunting · 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations and Seasons (official WRD guide, publuu-hosted PDF, p.16)
- Idaho — hunting · Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons & Rules
- Kentucky — hunting · Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, August 2026-March 2027
- Louisiana — hunting · Black Bear Hunting Lottery
- Maine — hunting, trapping · 2026-27 Maine Hunting Seasons (Summary of Laws & Rules)
- Maryland — hunting · 2026-27 Maryland Guide to Hunting & Trapping (official guide, linked from dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide)
- Minnesota — hunting · Minnesota Hunting & Trapping Regulations (effective July 2026 - June 30, 2027)
- Missouri — hunting · A Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026
- Montana — hunting · 2026 Black Bear Hunting Regulations
- Nevada — hunting · CR 26-12 2026 Black Bear Quotas and Harvest Limits
- New Hampshire — hunting · Fis 300 Wildlife Seasons and Rules
- New Mexico — hunting · 2026-2027 New Mexico Hunting Rules & Information (v08.11.26)
- North Carolina — hunting · Hunting and Trapping Season Dates for July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027 (NCWRC)
- Oklahoma — hunting · Bear - Big Game Season
- Oregon — hunting · 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations (official ODFW booklet, eRegulations host linked from myodfw.com)
- Pennsylvania — hunting · 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits
- South Carolina — hunting · 2026-2027 South Carolina Hunting & Fishing Laws and Regulations Guide
- Tennessee — hunting · Summary of Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Seasons Dates | TWRA
- Utah — hunting · 2026 Black Bear, Cougar and Furbearer Guidebook
- Vermont — hunting · Hunting and Trapping Seasons (web page)
- Virginia — hunting · 2026-2027 Virginia Hunting, Trapping, and Migratory Game Bird Seasons Guide
- Washington — hunting · 2026 Washington Big Game Hunting Seasons & Regulations (official WDFW pamphlet)
- West Virginia — hunting · West Virginia 2026-2027 Hunting Season Dates | WVDNR
- Wisconsin — hunting · 2026 Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Seasons PUB-CS-076-2026 (updated 06/08/2026)
- Wyoming — hunting · WGFC Ch. 3 Black Bear Hunting Seasons (dated Jan 13 2026)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
From northern Alaska east across virtually all of Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, and south through much of the United States into central Mexico.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALAmerican black bear (Ursus americanus)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- BIOLOGICALBe Bear Wise and prevent bear encounters
Government of Ontario · reviewed 2026-09-20
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources