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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in California

Our list for California has 232 bird species recorded regularly there: 92 residents, 26 summer visitors, 68 winter visitors, 44 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors

The list comes from 71 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
232
In October
206
Common
48
Busiest month
Apr

What's special about California

vs United States

The birds recorded far more often here than across United States, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones California is worth visiting for.

  1. California GnatcatcherCalifornia Gnatcatcher12×Resident · 0.09% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  2. Nuttall's WoodpeckerNuttall's Woodpecker12×Resident · 2.1% of records here, 0.18% across United States
  3. Scaly-breasted MuniaScaly-breasted Munia8.5×Resident · 0.36% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  4. White-headed WoodpeckerWhite-headed Woodpecker8.3×Summer visitor · 0.10% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  5. Sooty ShearwaterSooty Shearwater8.3×Summer visitor · 0.26% of records here, 0.03% across United States
  6. Acorn WoodpeckerAcorn Woodpecker8.1×Resident · 1.9% of records here, 0.24% across United States
  7. FulmarFulmar7.1×Resident · 0.10% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  8. Marbled GodwitMarbled Godwit6.9×Resident · 0.55% of records here, 0.08% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned Sparrow2.71%
  2. House FinchHouse Finch2.62%
  3. Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped Warbler2.52%
  4. American CrowAmerican Crow2.42%
  5. Common RavenCommon Raven1.67%
  6. Song SparrowSong Sparrow1.59%

Arriving now

  1. Snow GooseSnow GooseWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.05%
  2. Varied ThrushVaried ThrushWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.05%
  3. Horned GrebeHorned GrebeWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.04%
  4. Hooded MerganserHooded MerganserWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.02%
  5. Eurasian WigeonEurasian WigeonWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.02%
  6. Iceland GullIceland GullWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.02%

Share of all bird records in California in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for California

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in California

Records by month
Bird records in California by month, 2019–2024
January7,242,397
February6,153,705
March6,156,995
April7,250,027
May6,564,239
June4,621,109
July4,125,004
August4,356,998
September5,815,730
October6,092,562
November5,782,683
December6,620,530

April has the most records (7.3 million). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 30
All 30 families in California

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 232 birds, A to Z

Show all 232 birds

Questions

4

What birds is California known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, California stands out for California Gnatcatcher, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Scaly-breasted Munia and White-headed Woodpecker. Each is recorded at least 8.3 times as often here as across United States, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for California?

232 species, each recorded regularly in California (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 92 residents, 26 summer visitors, 68 winter visitors, 44 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in California, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in California in October?

206 species on our list for California are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are White-crowned Sparrow, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Crow and Common Raven.

What are the most common birds in California?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in California are House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, American Crow and Mourning Dove.

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

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