This page offers bird species that can and have been found in Southern California, primarily Orange County. It is estimated that over 450 different unique species have been accounted for in Orange County alone.
I’ve photographs of the majority of species below and will over time have them posted here for your perusal. If there is a particular species that you are seeking but its not accessible below, please do drop me a note via the contact form. Also, be sure to use the Search window on the left to search this entire site as there are photos within Posts that may not below below
The list is by alphabetical by Family such as “Raptors, Falcons & Kites” and then alphabetically by species/sub-species. Feel free to drill down to specific species within this taxonomic structure. I’d be most interested in hearing any comments or feedback you may have to make this a better web site for all that visit. There’s a Contact Form on top of the main page which will notify me directly. This web site a labor of love and a continuous work in progress as of March 2014 when this site was first erected.
The list below is continuously updated and modified. All listings on this page are “non-exotic / non caged birds” that have naturally migrated to southern California. All photos are the exclusive property of ocbirds.com and Anthony Gliozzo. Please inquire about any photo should you wish to license electronically or in printed form by contacting us HERE .
How to Search: A page search can be conducted by performing these key strokes: CTRL + F. A small window should appear in the left corner of your screen. Type any word or phrase. If a match is found it will take you directly to that location on this page. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to go to the Next or Previous match. Alternatively, the vertical slider will work or the Search button on the left margin however this will search the entire web site.
**When viewing any species, if the MAP button is available, this will take you to the precise location where the image was taken. The list below is not yet complete but species and photographic additions are frequent.
Feel free to use the Search button on any page for any species that is not available below. This will poll this entire web site for any images or articles on your target species. Try “Northern Harrier” as an example.
If a species is Highlighted in Green, it’s declared as a Year-Round Bird in Orange County
For a quick view of what has been tracked in Orange County from 2010 – 2015 please click> Orange County List Of Birds from 2010 through 2015
- Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Tanagers and Buntings
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak (rare)
- Hepatic Tanager (rare)
- Scarlet Tanager (rare)
- Dickcissel (rare)
- Indigo Bunting (rare)
- Lark Bunting (rare)
- Painted Bunting (rare)
- Northern Cardinal (rare)
- Chickadees and their Allies (Titmice, Chickadees, Verdin, Bushtit)
- Bushtit (similar to “Wrentit” though vocalization is quite different) (added March 7, 2015)
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee (*found only north of Santa Barbara)
- Mountain Chickadee
- Oak Titmouse
- Verdin (rare in Orange County)
- Ducks, Geese and Swans
- Ducks
- American Wigeon
- Bufflehead
- Canvasback
- Common Goldeneye
- Gadwall
- Eurasian-American Wigeon (hybrid)
- Long-tailed Duck
- Mallard (*males and females cannot be differentiated in summer)
- Mandarin Duck
- Muscovy Duck
- Northern Shoveler
- Northern Pintail
- Redhead
- Ring-necked Duck
- Ruddy Duck
- Scaups
- Greater Scaup
- Lesser Scaup
- Teals
- Blue-winged Teal (*possible but uncommon in May/June)
- Cinnamon Teal
- Green-winged Teal (*possible but uncommon late May through mid August)
- Tufted Duck (Rare-1st Orange County record)
- Wood Duck
- Ducks
-
- Geese & Swans
- Brandt
- Cackling Goose (updated with more photos 2-13-15)
- Canada Goose
- Egyptian Goose
- Emperor Goose
- Graylag Goose (domestic)
- Greater White-fronted Goose
- Ross’s Goose
- Snow Goose (added 2-2-15)
- Mute Swan
- Mergansers
- Common Merganser (added November 28, 2014)
- Hooded Merganser (added November 22, 2014
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Scoters
- Black Scoter (added 12-23-14)
- Surf Scoter (added 12-23-14)
- White-winged Scoter
- Geese & Swans
- Finches and their Allies
- American Goldfinch
- Cassin’s Finch (rare)
- House Finch
- Lawrence’s Goldfinch (*uncommon/nomadic)
- Lesser Goldfinch
- Purple Finch (uncommon)
- Pine Siskin
- Scaly-breasted Munia (aka Nutmeg Mannikin)
- Evening Grosbeak (not related to Grosbeaks) (rare)
- Flycatchers, Phoebes, Waxwings, Pewees
- Flycatchers
- Ash-throated Flycatcher (updated 5-11-2015) / Here’s an Ash-throated Flycatcher call I recorded on 5/19/2015
- Dusky-capped Flycatcher
- Dusky Flycatcher
- Gray Flycatcher
- Hammond’s Flycatcher
- Least Flycatcher (rare)
- Olive-sided Flycatcher (rare)
- Pacific-slope Flycatcher
- Willow Flycatcher
- Phainopepla
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (rare)
- Vermilion Flycatcher
- Kingbirds
- Cassin’s Kingbird
- Tropical Kingbird
- Western Kingbird
- Pewees
- Eastern Wood-Pewee (rare)
- Greater Pewee (rare)
- Western Wood-Pewee (updated 5-17-2015)
- Phoebes
- Black Phoebe
- Say’s Phoebe
- Waxwings
- Bohemian Waxwing (rare)
- Cedar Waxwing
- Flycatchers
- Frigatebirds, Boobies, Cormorants, Darters and Allies
- Boobies
- Blue-footed Booby
- Brown Booby
- Cormorants
- Brandt’s Cormorant
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Neotropic Cormorant (rare)
- Pelagic Cormorant (rare)
- Magnificent Frigatebird (rare)
- Boobies
- Gnatcatchers
- Greater Roadrunner, Cuckoos and Anis
- Greater Roadrunner
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Grebes
- Clark’s Grebe
- Eared Grebe
- Horned Grebe
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Red-necked Grebe
- Western Grebe
- Hummingbirds & Swifts
- Allen’s Hummingbird
- Anna’s Hummingbird
- Black-chinned Hummingbird
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird (very rare – 1st OC Record August 2016)
- Calliope Hummingbird
- Costa’s Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Black Swift (rare)
- White-throated Swift
- Vaux’s Swift
- Jays, Crows and Ravens
- American Crow
- Common Raven
- Western Scrub-Jay (aka California Scrub-Jay as of July 2016)
- Steller’s Jay (commonly found in surrounding counties, not in OC)
- Juncos
- Dark-eyed Juncos (various) (uncommon summer months)
- Kingfishers
- Belted Kingfisher (uncommon May/June)
- Kinglets
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet (male and female)
- Golden-crowned Kinglet (rare)
- Larks
- Loons
- Common Loon
- Pacific Loon
- Red-throated Loon
- Nightjars (includes nighthawks and poorwills)
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Poorwill
- Lesser Nighthawk (added 7-7-15)
- Nuthatches and Creepers
- Pygmy Nuthatch (rare)
- Red-breasted Nuthatch (uncommon)
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Brown Creeper (rare)
- Orioles, Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Grackles and Cowbirds
- Orioles
- Bullock’s Oriole
- Hooded Oriole
- Scott’s Oriole (rare)
- Orchard Oriole (rare)
- Blackbirds
- Brewer’s Blackbird
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Rusty Blackbird (rare)
- Tricolored Blackbird (rare)
- Yellow-headed Blackbird (rare)
- Great-tailed Grackle
- Western Meadowlark (uncommon in August)
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Bobolink (rare)
- Orioles
- Owls
- Barn Owl
- Western-screech Owl (added 9-11-14)
- Great-horned Owl
- Burrowing Owl
- Spotted Owl
- Long-eared Owl
- Short-eared Owl
- Northern Saw-whet Owl
- Parrots
- Lilac-crowned Parrot
- Red-crowned Parrot
- Red-lored Parrot
- Pigeons and Doves
- Eurasian-collared Dove
- Mourning Dove
- Band-tailed Pigeon
- Rock Pigeon (feral)
- Pipits
- American Pipit
- Olive-backed Pipit (Extremely rare found 11-1-2014) This was the 4th North American sighting
- Red-throated Pipit
- Plovers, Sandpipers and Allies (includes Gulls)
- Gulls (all cycles)
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- California Gull (large)
- Franklin’s Gull (rare) (added 1-5-15)
- Glaucous Gull (rare – large)
- Glaucous-winged Gull (large)
- Heermann’s Gull
- Mew Gull (rare)
- Ring-billed Gull
- Western Gull (large)
- Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover with alternate plumage
- Killdeer
- Mountain Plover (rare)
- Pacific Golden-Plover (rare)
- Semipalmated Plover
- Snowy Plover
- Wilson’s Plover (rare)
- Oystercatchers
- American Oystercatcher (rare/Pacific)
- Black Oystercatcher
- Stilts and Avocets
- Black-necked Stilt
- American Avocet
- Sandpipers, Phalaropes and Allies
- Baird’s Sandpiper
- Least Sandpiper
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Stilt Sandpiper (rare)
- Western Sandpiper
- Red Phalarope
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Wilson’s Phalarope
- Dunlin
- Long-billed Curlew (added 8-2-15)
- Marbled Godwit
- Black Turnstone
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Red Knot
- Ruff (rare)
- Sanderling
- Short-billed Dowitcher (primarily salt water)
- Long-billed Dowticher
- Surfbird
- Wandering Tattler (added 8-22-15)
- Willet
- Wilson’s Snipe
- Whimbrel
- Lesser Yellowlegs / Lesser Yellowlegs video
- Terns and Skimmers
- Black Skimmers
- Caspian Tern
- Elegant Tern
- Forster’s Tern
- Least Tern
- Royal Tern
- Auks, Murres and Puffins
- Common Murre
- Gulls (all cycles)
- Quail and Allies
- California Quail
- Gambel’s Quail (rare)
- Mountain Quail (uncommon)
- Indian Peafowl (aka Peacock – specific areas)
- Raptors, Falcons & Kites
- American Kestrel
- Bald Eagle
- Broad-winged Hawk
- California Condor (rare)
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Ferruginous Hawk
- Golden Eagle
- Harris’s Hawk (rare)
- Merlin (includes a few photos from Alaska)
- Northern Harrier
- Osprey
- Peregrine Falcon
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk (rare)
- Turkey Vulture
- White-tailed Kite
- Zone-tailed Hawk (rare – added October 7, 2015)
- Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, Egrets and Bitterns
- Herons
- Black-crowned Night-Heron
- Great Blue Heron
- Green Heron
- Little Blue Heron (rare)
- Tricolored Heron (rare)
- Yellow-crowned Night Heron (rare)
- Egrets
- Cattle Egret
- Great Egret
- Reddish Egret
- Snowy Egret
- Ibises
- Pelicans
- Brown Pelican (Salt Water primarily / Fresh water infrequent)
- American White Pelican (Fresh water)
- Brown Pelican (Salt Water primarily / Fresh water infrequent)
- Bitterns
- Herons
- Rails, Gallinules and Coots
- American Coot
- Common Gallinule
- Ridgway’s Rail (previously Clapper Rail)
- Virginia Rail
- Sora (added 3-15-2015)
- Shearwaters and Petrels
- Ashy Storm-Petrel
- Black Storm-Petrel
- Black-vented Shearwater
- Flesh-footed Shearwater
- Manx Shearwater
- Northern Fulmar
- Pink-footed Shearwater
- Sooty Shearwater
- Shrike
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Swallows
- Bank Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Cliff Swallow
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow
- Tree Swallow
- Violet-green Swallow (added 5-26-2015)
- Sparrows
- Black-chinned Sparrow
- Black-throated Sparrow
- Chipping Sparrow (uncommon in August)
- Clay-colored Sparrow (rare)
- Fox Sparrow (all variations)
- Golden-crowned Sparrow
- Grasshopper Sparrow
- Harris’s Sparrow
- House Sparrow
- Lark Sparrow (uncommon in summer months)
- Lincoln’s Sparrow (added 3-2-15)
- Nelson’s Sparrow (rare)
- Rufous-crowned Sparrow (less common than other year round sparrows)
- Savannah Sparrow (includes Belding’s)
- Song Sparrow
- Swamp Sparrow (rare)
- Vesper Sparrow (rare)
- White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel’s)
- Starlings
- European Starling
- Thrashers, Mockingbirds and Catbirds
- Thrashers
- Bendire’s Thrasher (rare)
- California Thrasher (added 5-19-15) / California Thrasher song (recorded on May 19, 2015 Harding Trail)
- Curve-billed Thrasher (rare)
- Sage Thrasher (added 3-13-15)
- Northern Mockingbird
- Gray Catbird (rare)
- Thrashers
- Thrushes, Old World Warblers and their Allies
- American Dipper (rare)
- American Robin
- Hermit Thrush
- Swainson’s Thrush
- Varied Thrush
- Townsend’s Solitaire
- Mountain Bluebird
- Western Bluebird
- Wrentit
- Towhees
- California Towhee (aka Rufous-sided Towhee)
- Spotted Towhee
- Green-tailed Towhee
- California Towhee (aka Rufous-sided Towhee)
- Vireos
- Blue-headed Vireo (rare)
- Cassin’s Vireo (uncommon)
- Hutton’s Vireo
- Philadelphia Vireo (rare)
- Plumbeous Vireo (uncommon) (uploaded January 30-2016)
- Red-eyed Vireo (rare)
- Warbling Vireo
- White-eyed Vireo (rare)
- Yellow-throated Vireo (rare)
- Yellow-greeen Vireo (rare)
- Warblers, Yellowthroats, Redstarts
- American Redstart
- Bay-breasted Warbler (rare)
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Black-throated Blue Warbler (rare)
- Black-throated Gray Warbler
- Black-throated Green Warbler (rare)
- Blackburnian Warbler
- Blackpoll Warbler
- Chestnut-sided Warbler
- Common Yellowthroat
- Hermit Warbler
- MacGillivray’s Warbler
- Nashville Warbler
- Northern Waterthrush
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Painted Redstart (rare)
- Prothonotary Warbler
- Townsend’s Warbler
- Wilson’s Warbler
- Worm-Eating Warbler (rare)
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-throated Warbler (rare)
- Yellow-rumped warbler
- Yellow Warbler
- Woodpeckers, Flickers & Sapsuckers
- Acorn Woodpecker
- Downy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Lewis’ Woodpecker
- Nuttall’s Woodpecker
- White-headed Woodpecker (rare)
- Red-breasted Sapsucker
- Red-naped Sapsucker
- Williamson’s Sapsucker
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Williamson’s Sapsucker
- Norther Flicker
- Wrens
- Cactus Wren
- House Wren
- Marsh Wren
- Bewick’s Wren
- Rock Wren (updated 11-28-2014)
- Canyon Wren (uncommon)
- Other (non ABA) birds
- Bronze Mannikin
- Northern Red Bishop
- Orange-cheeked Waxbill
- Pin-tailed Whydah
- Japanese White-eye
(This Page first created on 3-23-14 – Updates Frequently)