Uncommon Birds in California
Our list for California has 85 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 38 residents, 8 summer visitors, 30 winter visitors and 9 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in California in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 85, most common first
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisWinter visitorUncommon28–34 cmRecorded all year
Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolniiWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusResidentUncommon18–26 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaSummer visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaResidentUncommon40–50 cmRecorded all year
Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatusSummer visitorUncommon16–20 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaResidentUncommon15–19 cmRecorded all year
Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatusWinter visitorUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Jul–May
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorUncommon59–76 cmRecorded all year
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataResidentUncommon48–60 cmRecorded all year
Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanopteraResidentUncommon36–43 cmRecorded all year
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusResidentUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Forster's TernSterna forsteriResidentUncommon33–36 cmRecorded all year
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon100–125 cmRecorded all year
Marsh WrenCistothorus palustrisResidentUncommon10–14 cmRecorded all year
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaResidentUncommon27–30 cmRecorded all year
Scaly-breasted MuniaLonchura punctulataResidentUncommon11–12 cmRecorded all year
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorUncommon53–65 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaResidentUncommon43–51 cmRecorded all year
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusResidentUncommon11–14 cmRecorded all year
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Jul–May
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorUncommon64–81 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