Rare Birds in California
Our list for California has 99 rare birds recorded regularly there: 20 residents, 15 summer visitors, 28 winter visitors, 34 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in California in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 99, most common first
Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusSummer visitorRare21–24 cmRegularly May–Oct
Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisWinter visitorRare12–15 cmRegularly May–Feb
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorRare37–41 cmRegularly Oct–May
Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgianaWinter visitorRare12–15 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus variusWinter visitorRare19–22 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorRare15–16 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Red-naped SapsuckerSphyrapicus nuchalisWinter visitorRare19–21 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensPassage migrantRare11–13 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianusSummer visitorRare18–22 cmRegularly May–Mar
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorRare34–43 cmRegularly Oct–Jun
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorRare33–42 cmRegularly Mar–Aug
Northern GannetMorus bassanusSummer visitorRare87–100 cmRecorded all year
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaWinter visitorRare23–26 cmRegularly Jul–May
Northern Pygmy-owlGlaucidium gnomaResidentRare15–17 cmRecorded all year
RuffCalidris pugnaxWinter visitorRare20–32 cmRegularly Jul–Mar
California CondorGymnogyps californianusResidentRare109–140 cmRecorded all year
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnoliaPassage migrantRare11–13 cmRegularly May–Jan
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentRare75–90 cmRecorded all year
Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterusPassage migrantRare34–44 cmRegularly May–Jan
DickcisselSpiza americanaPassage migrantRare14–16 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusWinter visitorRare18–23 cmRegularly Jul–May
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