West · Pacific Flyway
Birds in California
Birds in California are as varied as the state itself. The California Bird Records Committee's official checklist includes 696 species, 19 of which are established introductions 1, and the state holds two birds found nowhere else on Earth 45.
This guide covers the birds you are most likely to meet in a California backyard from San Diego to the Bay Area, how the mix shifts through the year, and the places worth a trip. The species rankings and the monthly calendar on this page are computed from eBird observation records for California, not from a generic template 8.
Popular cities in California:
Common Birds in California
The 24 most-reported bird species in California, ranked by the number of eBird records from 2020 to 2024. Click any bird for its full profile and attraction tips.
Backyard Birds in California
California backyard birds that regularly visit feeders and gardens. These are the species you’re most likely to attract with the right food, plants, and habitat setup.
What makes birds in California different
California's state bird is the California Quail, also known as the valley quail, which became the official state bird in 1931. Plump, gray-colored, and smaller than a pigeon, it sports a downward-curving black plume on top of its head, and its flocks number from a few to 60 or more in the fall and winter months before breaking into pairs in spring 2.
Two species are endemic to the state. The Yellow-billed Magpie lives only in California, in an area about 500 miles from north to south and less than 150 miles wide, and is most numerous in open oak savanna 5. The Island Scrub-Jay lives only on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park, which gives it the smallest range of any North American bird species and makes it the only island-endemic bird species in North America 4.
The backyard cast is western. On eBird, the most-reported birds in California are House Finch, Black Phoebe, American Crow, Anna's Hummingbird, and Mourning Dove, followed by California Scrub-Jay, White-crowned Sparrow, California Towhee, Common Raven, and Lesser Goldfinch 8. Anna's Hummingbird is present year-round — it is the fourth most-reported bird in the state — which is why California feeders can host hummingbirds in January 8.
When the birds in California change with the seasons
eBird's California records are heaviest in April, January, and December, and lightest in August and July 8. Most of the familiar backyard birds are year-round residents, so the seasonal signal comes from the winter visitors: White-crowned Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler are both among the eleven most-reported birds in the state, present from October through April and largely gone in summer 8.
Summer brings the mountain and foothill breeders instead. Western Tanager and Mountain Chickadee are reported mainly from late spring into early fall 8, and Yosemite's exceptional bird diversity — 262 documented species — is explained by its extreme elevation gradient from 2,000 feet to more than 13,000 feet 7.
For backyard birders this means two things: winter is the season to watch feeders for sparrows and warblers, and hummingbird feeders should stay up all year, because Anna's Hummingbirds do not leave.
Where to see birds in California
The four sites below span the coast, the Sierra Nevada, and the Colorado Desert; the first of them holds the greatest avian diversity of any U.S. national park 3.
With nearly 490 species recorded — over 50% of the bird species in North America — Point Reyes claims the greatest avian diversity of any U.S. national park 3.
Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge
Established in 1930; over 400 species recorded and one of the most important nesting sites and stopovers along the Pacific Flyway 6.
262 documented bird species across an elevation gradient from 2,000 feet to more than 13,000 feet 7.
Santa Cruz Island is the only place in the world to see the Island Scrub-Jay, North America's only island-endemic bird 4.
Birds in California by Month
Arrivals, departures, and peaks by month, derived from the share of California eBird records each species accounts for. Birders log the most records in April, January, December.
Birds by Habitat in California
California spans 5 major habitat types. Explore birds adapted to each environment.
Birds in California: frequently asked questions
How many bird species are there in California?
The California Bird Records Committee's official checklist includes 696 species, 19 of which are established introductions and one of which has been extirpated within historical times 1.
What is the state bird of California?
The California Quail, also known as the valley quail, became the official state bird in 1931 2.
Which birds are found only in California?
The Yellow-billed Magpie, which lives only in California in an area about 500 miles long and less than 150 miles wide 5, and the Island Scrub-Jay, found only on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park 4.
What are the most common backyard birds in California?
By eBird records, the most-reported birds in California are House Finch, Black Phoebe, American Crow, Anna's Hummingbird, and Mourning Dove, followed by California Scrub-Jay, White-crowned Sparrow, California Towhee, Common Raven, and Lesser Goldfinch 8.
Birds in neighboring states
Birds in California: data and sources
Species rankings, seasonal status labels, and the monthly calendar on this page are derived from the eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license, using California records from 2020 through 2024 8. A species' seasonal status is judged from its own monthly share of all California records. The state list total, the state bird, the endemic species, and every site fact come from the primary sources listed below.
EOD – eBird Observation Dataset, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0). California records 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-17.
- California Bird Records Committee — Official California Checklist
- California State Library — State Symbols
- National Park Service — Point Reyes National Seashore: Birds
- National Park Service — Channel Islands: Island Scrub-Jay
- Audubon Field Guide — Yellow-billed Magpie
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge
- National Park Service — Yosemite National Park: Birds
- EOD – eBird Observation Dataset, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0); California records 2020–2024