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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in California in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 85, most common first
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Sep–May
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorUncommon24–33 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Pacific LoonGavia pacificaResidentUncommon58–74 cmRecorded all year
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRecorded all year
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesWinter visitorUncommon23–27 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Pacific WrenTroglodytes pacificusResidentUncommon8–12 cmRecorded all year
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorSummer visitorUncommon22–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisResidentUncommon16–20 cmRecorded all year
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentUncommon47–54 cmRecorded all year
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataWinter visitorUncommon53–69 cmRecorded all year
Virginia RailRallus limicolaResidentUncommon20–27 cmRecorded all year
FulmarFulmarus glacialisResidentUncommon45–50 cmRecorded all year
Brent GooseBranta berniclaWinter visitorUncommon55–66 cmRecorded all year
Sandhill CraneAntigone canadensisResidentUncommon80–122 cmRecorded all year
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusPassage migrantUncommon48–58 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusResidentUncommon40–49 cmRecorded all year
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosResidentUncommon66–102 cmRecorded all year
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorUncommon120–150 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Burrowing OwlAthene cuniculariaWinter visitorUncommon19–25 cmRecorded all year
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
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