Jun 7, 2026
Los Encinos State Historic Parki
Photo attribution
(c) Mariana Vee, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Birding Guide
Birding Guide for California
Coasts, deserts, mountains, forests, and rich biodiversity
Birding highlights, common sightings, and the best places to look for birds in California. Use the highlight list to start quickly, then work through the full guide for a broader local view.
Sightings
2,671
Species
192
Active Months
12
Category Overview
Birds across California
This guide focuses on birdlife within California's wider region guide, helping families explore common sightings, shoreline birds, forest species, and the places where birding is easier to begin.
Latest Sightings
Recent bird sightings in California
A recent look at bird sightings across California.
Jun 7, 2026
Prospect Historic Districti
Photo attribution
(c) Cristhian Mace, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Jun 6, 2026
Venice Canal Historic Districti
Photo attribution
(c) Roberto Daniel Avila, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Jun 6, 2026
Huntington Desert Gardeni
Photo attribution
(c) Cristhian Mace, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Jun 6, 2026
Huntington Desert Gardeni
Photo attribution
(c) Cristhian Mace, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Jun 6, 2026
Venice Canal Historic Districti
Photo attribution
(c) Roberto Daniel Avila, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Sightings Map
See where bird sightings cluster
Start wide, then zoom in to see where bird sightings cluster across California.
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Top Highlights
Top 5 birds to see in California
These birds are snapped the most across this region.
Red-tailed Hawk
216 snaps
Duck
182 snaps
Dark-eyed Junco
153 snaps
Great Blue Heron
125 snaps
American Crow
95 snaps
Places to Start
Best places for birding in California
These place guides connect well with the birds covered in this region.
Park92 sightings6 species
California, US
Heatherlark Park
You might spot Great Egret, Duck, and Great Blue Heron.
View place guide →
Park90 sightings7 species
California, US
Meadows Park
You might spot Bold Jumping Spider and Marbled Cellar Spider.
View place guide →
Park114 sightings7 species
California, US
El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
You might spot Roxburgh Fig, Roses, and Swan-Neck Agave.
View place guide →
Park71 sightings8 species
California, US
Kolb Park
You might spot Duck, Great Egret, and Hooded Merganser.
View place guide →
Park47 sightings6 species
California, US
Cabrillo Heights Park
You might spot American Crow and Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
View place guide →
Park56 sightings7 species
California, US
Mission Bay Park
You might spot Western Gull, Snowy Egret, and Black Skimmer.
View place guide →
Full Guide
Full California birds list
The complete ranked list for this guide, ordered by sightings count.
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Red-tailed Hawk
Duck
Dark-eyed Junco
Great Blue Heron
American Crow
Canada Goose
American Robin
Vulture
House Finch
Northern Mockingbird
Black Phoebe
California Towhee
Common Raven
Western Bluebird
Great Horned Owl
Cooper's Hawk
Song Sparrow
Double-crested Cormorant
Mourning Dove
Western Gull
California Scrub-Jay
Black-crowned Night Heron
Lesser Goldfinch
Brown Pelican
European Starling
Red-shouldered Hawk
House Sparrow
Anna's Hummingbird
Brent Goose
California Quail
Acorn Woodpecker
Killdeer
Osprey
Steller's Jay
Snowy Egret
Spotted Towhee
Narragansett Turkey
American Kestrel
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Tree Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Great Egret
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Violet-green Swallow
White-crowned Sparrow
Bushtit
Clark's Nutcracker
Pekin Duck
Bald Eagle
Brewer's Blackbird
Cedar Waxwing
Green Heron
Heermann's Gull
Turkey
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-lored Amazon
Western Kingbird
American Coot
Red-crowned Amazon
Wood Duck
Barn Swallow
Bewick's Wren
Cassin's Kingbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Rock Pigeon
American Avocet
Black Oystercatcher
Cliff Swallow
Common Yellowthroat
Egyptian Goose
Northern Harrier
Pied-billed Grebe
Pigeon
Savannah Sparrow
Black-necked Stilt
Brown Creeper
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Mountain Bluebird
Northern Flicker
Ruddy Duck
Scaly-breasted Munia
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Bullock's Oriole
Horned Lark
Northern House Wren
Northern Yellow Warbler
Say's Phoebe
American Goldfinch
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Brandt's Cormorant
Cinnamon Teal
Downy Woodpecker
Greater Roadrunner
Hairy Woodpecker
Lark Sparrow
Northern Shoveler
Peregrine Falcon
Phainopepla
Rock Wren
Western Wood-Pewee
White-tailed Kite
Wilson'S Warbler
Yellow-headed Amazon
Allen's Hummingbird
American White Pelican
Band-tailed Pigeon
Black-throated Sparrow
California Thrasher
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Gadwall
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Pelagic Cormorant
Pygmy Nuthatch
Red-throated Loon
Spotted Sandpiper
Surf Scoter
Varied Thrush
Western Screech-Owl
Yellow-billed Magpie
American Wigeon
Belted Kingfisher
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Chukar
Clark's Grebe
Common Goldeneye
Common Loon
Common Merganser
Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Hermit Thrush
Indian Peafowl
Least Sandpiper
Little Blue Heron
Mute Swan
Pigeon Guillemot
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Reddish Egret
Ring-billed Gull
Sandhill Crane
Semipalmated Plover
Snowy Plover
Sooty Grouse
Western Flycatcher
Western Sandpiper
White-headed Woodpecker
White-throated Swift
American Dipper
Black-bellied Plover
Blue Grosbeak
Cactus Wren
California Gull
Chipping Sparrow
Common Gallinule
Common Murre
Costa's Hummingbird
Eared Grebe
Golden Eagle
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Great Gray Owl
Greater Yellowlegs
Guinea Fowl
Lewis's Woodpecker
Loggerhead Shrike
Long-billed Curlew
Long-billed Dowitcher
Louisiana Waterthrush
Merlin
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pacific Loon
Pacific Wren
Purple Finch
Red Junglefowl
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-eyed Vireo
Redhead
Townsend's Solitaire
Verdin
Western Grebe
White-Tailed Ptarmigan
White-faced Ibis
Willet
Yellow-Throated Vireo
Other Guides
Keep exploring California
Switch from birding to flowers and bugs for a broader view of California's wildlife and nature.
