Is wildlife a good niche?
Wildlife is a steady niche, but we don’t see clear momentum for new channels. RPM is on the low side, around $1.3–$3.25 per 1,000 views, so you need a lot of views to earn well. 1 new channel appeared in the last 90 days, but none has broken out yet. 100% of channels are faceless, so you don’t need to show your face.
Pros
- The median channel earns an estimated $2.7K – $6.7K a month
- 100% of channels are faceless
- Videos get a median of 175.5K views
Cons
- Low RPM: $1.3–$3.25 per 1,000 views
Examples worth studying
The channels beating their niche average by the most, and the biggest breakout videos of the last 90 days. The full list is in the app.
Channels beating the average
Snugbarn264K subscribersFacelessShorts(opens YouTube in a new tab)5.7×$1.9K – $4.7KByNiche estimate, monthly
Pere_castor7152K subscribersShorts(opens YouTube in a new tab)4×$337 – $842ByNiche estimate, monthly
Cocodrilo Jack156K subscribersFacelessShorts(opens YouTube in a new tab)3.7×$1.2K – $2.9KByNiche estimate, monthly
Breakout videos, last 90 days
- The Snake Had Deadly Venom. The Roadrunner Had a Plan | Nature DocumentaryWildlife Ethology, 5.5M views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
1,434× - The Scariest Creature Living in AntarcticaThe New Window, 3.3M views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
573× - Elk mode: social battery dead 🫎#elk#deer#funnyanimals#wildlifePet.humor5, 15.2M views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
276×
How to start a wildlife channel
100% of channels in this niche are faceless, so you can start without going on camera: voiceover, stock footage, animation or screen recording.
The most common formats among the channels we track: narrated documentary / explainer (43%), compilation / clip montage (34%), person talking to camera (14%).
Study the example channels below: which titles and thumbnails multiply their average, and how long are the videos?
Pick a narrower angle inside wildlife: focus on one audience or one question instead of the generic videos everyone makes.
Aim for the median first: here that’s 175.5K views per video. Ship your first 10 videos in one format, then adjust from the data.
Do the math honestly: 100,000 monthly views in this niche earn roughly $130 – $325. You need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours to monetize.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube RPM for wildlife?
Long videos in wildlife earn an estimated $1.3–$3.25 per 1,000 views (Animals category). Shorts pay much less: about $0.04–$0.1 per 1,000 views. RPM also shifts with your viewers’ countries and the ad season.
Can you run a faceless wildlife channel?
100% of the 17 channels we track here are faceless. The most common formats: narrated documentary / explainer (43%), compilation / clip montage (34%), person talking to camera (14%).
How competitive is the wildlife niche?
We track 17 channels. In the last 90 days 1 new channel appeared and none beat the niche’s usual views 3×. We haven’t seen new channels break in yet.
How much does a wildlife channel make?
The median channel earns an estimated $2.7K – $6.7K a month and gets a median of 175.5K views per video. The estimate comes from the last 30 days of views and the niche’s RPM range; the biggest channels earn far more.