Birds

California hosts an amazing diversity of birds

Morgan Quimby, a photographer and researcher for Monterey Bay Whale Watch in California, captured a stunning scene of a Brown Pelican diving for food against a backdrop of humpback whales and other seabirds. This image was submitted for the 2024 Audubon Photography Awards in the category: The Birds in Landscapes Prize.

California is famous for the spirit of its people, farms that feed millions, innovation that transforms the world, our magnificent coastlines, and Hollywood, to name a few. Audubon California would add our abundant bird life to that list. The more than 600 bird species that have been spotted in California make up about two-thirds of all birds species in North America, including the tiny Calliope Hummingbird, the elegant Black Phoebe, and the great California Condor.

More commonly seen California birds total around 450 species, making our state one of the country’s most diverse. The natural habitats that draw millions of breeding, migrating, and resting birds to California – the shorelines, wetlands, oak woodlands, deserts, and forests– include 175 places most important to birds (Audubon calls them Important Bird Areas), the most of any state in the Lower 48.

Birds are crucial components of healthy natural systems, serving as pollinators, predators, scavengers, seed dispersers, and engineers in riparian, wetland, and coastal habitats. Birds are indicators of broader ecosystem function and environmental health because they respond rapidly to climatic and other changes, and are relatively easy to see and study. Birds and humans need the same things – clean air, water, and land – so the future health of birds and that of humans is inextricably linked.

California is key link along the Pacific Flyway, the migratory route traveled by millions of birds every year. California wetlands, beaches, and other areas provide important habitat, stop over, feeding, and nesting sites for birds that travel from the Arctic to spots over 7,000 miles away in Chile, sustaining species that can be found throughout the Flyway.

How you can help, right now

Allen's Hummingbird and Climate Change
Birds

Allen's Hummingbird

The Allen's Hummingbird is one of California's most popular birds.

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Burrowing Owl
Birds

Burrowing Owl

This comical owl is incredibly popular, and also very much at risk.

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Black Oystercatcher in California and Oregon
Birds

Black Oystercatcher

The Black Oystercatcher is a dynamic resident of California's shorelines.

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Black-necked Stilt
Birds

Black-necked Stilt

The Black-necked Stilt is one of many shorebirds that needs our help.

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Brown Pelican
Birds

Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is one of California's most distinctive birds, and it very nearly disappeared altogether.

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Western Snowy Plovers in California
Birds

Western Snowy Plovers

California is a focal point for the conservation of this threatened shorebird.

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California Condor
Birds

California Condor

The California Condor is among the rarest and most imperiled birds in the world.

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Golden Eagle
Birds

Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle is one of the largest and most agile raptors in the world.

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Greater Sage-Grouse
Birds

Greater Sage-Grouse

The Greater Sage-Grouse has become a lightning rod for conservation.

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National Audubon Society Reaffirms Commitment to Chuckwalla National Monument
Salton Sea

National Audubon Society Reaffirms Commitment to Chuckwalla National Monument

National Monument designation – championed by Tribal, business, conservation and community groups – faces uncertainty

Audubon CA's 2025 State Policy Priorities
Policy

Audubon CA's 2025 State Policy Priorities

Fighting for birds, habitats, & communities in CA’s budget and legislation

Audubon Conservation Ranching Expands Along the West Coast with Support from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Protect Birds on Grazing Lands
Working Lands

Audubon Conservation Ranching Expands Along the West Coast with Support from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Protect Birds on Grazing Lands

Audubon California and Audubon Washington awarded more than $780k to expand program in the Golden State and establish one in the Columbia Plateau

Audubon Celebrates Designation of Chuckwalla National Monument as a Major Victory for Birds and Communities
Public Lands

Audubon Celebrates Designation of Chuckwalla National Monument as a Major Victory for Birds and Communities

Audubon and a broad coalition of Tribal, community, and conservation organizations led an effort for the protection of more than 620,000 acres of California desert.

Empowering Coastal Stewards: A Look Inside the Coastal Leadership Program
Coastal Leadership Program

Empowering Coastal Stewards: A Look Inside the Coastal Leadership Program

How a transformative journey in conservation, community, and creativity is shaping the next generation of coastal leaders

Tricolored Blackbirds on the Rise!
Working Lands

Tricolored Blackbirds on the Rise!

Celebrating an Incredible 2024 Conservation Success