California Birds 


Noting those during 
Focus On Nature Tours
in central California
with an (*)

During the FONT West Coast USA Tour
from 1991 thru 2010,
usually in the month of September)

A central California bird list compiled by Armas Hill 
with photos
 

A Complete List (with some photos) of North American Birds, north of Mexico, in 6 parts:
List #1: Grouse to Anhinga
List #2: Condor to Shorebirds
List #3: Jaegers to Cuckoos
List #4: Owls to Flycatchers
List #5: Shrikes to Pipits
List #6: Olive Warbler to Buntings

Mammals & some Other Wildlife during FONT tours in California 

1. Mountain Quail  (*)  ______ 
   Oreotyx p. pictus  (the single member of is genus)  
   
   
2. California Quail  (*)  ______  PR:c
   Callipepla californica brunnescens
   
   
3. Gambel's Quail  ______
   Callipepla gambelii
   
   
4. Chukar Partridge  (NAi)  ______ 
   Alectoris chukar
   
   
5. Common (or "Ring-necked") Pheasant (NAi) (*)  ______  PR:u
   Phasianus colchicus
   
   
6. Wild Turkey  (CAi) (ph) (*)  ______ 
   Meleagris gallopavo
   
   
7. Ruffed Grouse  (ph)  ______
   Bonasa umbellus
   
   
8. Greater Sage Grouse  (ph)  ______
   Centrocercus urophasianus
   
   
9. White-tailed Ptarmigan  (CAi) (ph)  ______
   Lagopus leucurus
   
   
10. Sooty Grouse  ______
    Dendragapus fuliginosus
    
    
11. Sharp-tailed Grouse  ______  (extirpated in California)
    Tympanuchus phasianellus
    
    
12. Black-bellied Whistling Duck  (ph)  ______
    Dendrocygna autumnalis
    
    
13. Fulvous Whistling Duck  ______
    Dendrocygna bicolor
    
    
14. Tundra Swan  ______  PR:r
    Cygnus c. columbianus
    
    
15. Trumpeter Swan  (ph)  ______  PR:x
    Cygnus buccinator
    
    
16. Whooper Swan  (NAr)  ______
    Cygnus cygnus
    
    
17. Brant  (*) (ph)  ______  (also called Brent Goose)  PR:c
    Branta bernicla nigricans
    
    
18. Canada Goose  (*)  ______  PR:u
    Branta canadensis
    
    
19. Cackling Goose  (ph)  ______
    Branta hutchinsii
    
    
20. Greater White-fronted Goose  (*)  ______  PR:r
    Anser albifrons elgasi
    
    
21. Snow Goose  (ph)  ______  PR:r
    Anser (has been Chen) caerulescens
    
    
22. Ross' Goose  ______  PR:r
    Anser (has been Chen) rossii
    
    
23. Emperor Goose  ______  PR:x
    Anser (has been Chen) canagica
    
    
24. Wood Duck  (ph)  ______  PR:r
    Aix sponsa
    
    In California, flocks of hundreds of Wood Ducks are sometimes seen in the fall. 
    
    
25. Mallard  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
    Anas p. platyrhynchos
    
    
26. Northern Pintail  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
    Anas acuta  (monotypic)  
    
    
27. Blue-winged Teal  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
    Anas discors  (monotypic)    
    
    
28. Cinnamon Teal  (*)  ______  PR:c
    Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium
    
    
29. Green-winged Teal  (ph) (*)  ______ (was conspecific with the Eurasian Teal, Anas crecca)  PR:c
    Anas carolinensis
    
    
30. Northern Shoveler  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
    Anas clypeata  (monotypic) 
    
    
31. Gadwall  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
    Anas s. strepera
    
    
32. American Wigeon  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
    Anas americana  (monotypic) 
    
    
33. Eurasian Wigeon  (ph)  ______  PR:r
    Anas penelope
    
    
34. Falcated Duck  (NAr) (ph) ______
    Anas falcata
    
    
35. American Black Duck  (CAr) (ph)  ______
    Anas rubripes
    
    
36. Garganey  (NAr)  ______  PR:x
    Anas querquedula
    
    
37. Baikal Teal  (NAr) (ph)  ______ 
    Anas formosa
    
    
38. Eurasian Teal  ______  PR:x
    Anas crecca
    
    
39. Redhead  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u 
    Aythya americana  (monotypic)  
    
    
40. Lesser Scaup  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
    Aythya affinis  (monotypic) 
    
    
41. Greater Scaup  ______  PR:c
    Aythya marita mariloides
    
    
42. Ring-necked Duck  (ph)  ______  PR:fc
    Aythya collaris
    
    
43. Canvasback  ______  PR:c
    Aythya valisiineria
    
    
44. Common Pochard  (NAr) (ph)  ______
    Aythya ferina
    
    
45. Tufted Duck  (NAr)  ______  PR:x
    Aythya fuligula
    
    
46. Steller's Eider  (CAr) (ph)  ______
    Polysticta stelleri
    
    
47. King Eider  (ph)  ______  PR:x
    Somateria spectabilis
    
    
48. Harlequin Duck  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
    Histrionicus histrionicus  (now said to be monotypic) (the single member of its genus)
    
    
49. Surf Scoter  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
    Melanitta perspicillata  (monotypic)  
    
    
50. White-winged Scoter  ______  PR:c
    Melanitta deglabdi
    
    
51. American Scoter  (ph)  ______  PR:u
    Melanitta americana
    
    
52. Long-tailed Duck  (ph)  ______  PR:r
    Clangula hyemalis
    
    
53. Common Goldeneye  ______  PR:fc
    Bucephala clangula
    
    
54. Barrow's Goldeneye  ______  PR:r
    Bucephala islandica
    
    
55. Bufflehead  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
    Bucephala albeola  (monotypic)  
    
    
56. Smew  (NAr)  ______
    Mergellus albellus
    
    
57. Common Merganser  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
    Mergus merganser americanus
    
    
58. Red-breasted Merganser  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
    Mergus serrator  (monotypic)   
    
    
59. Hooded Merganser  (ph)  ______  PR:r
    Lodhodytes cucullatus
    
    
60. Ruddy Duck  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
    Oxyura j. rubida
    
    
61. Red-throated Loon  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
    Gavia stellata  (monotypic)
    
    
62. Pacific Loon  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
    Gavia pacifica        
    
    
    
    
    Pacific Loon
    
    
63. Common Loon  (*)  ______ (called Great Northern Diver in the Old World)  PR:fc
    Gavia immer  (monotypic)
    
    
64. Yellow-billed Loon  ______  PR:x
    Gavia adamsii
    
    
65. Arctic Loon  ______
    Gavia arctica
    
    
66. Black-footed Albatross  (t3) (*)  ______ (mp) PR:u
    Phoebastria nigripes  (monotypic)
    
    The Black-footed Albatross is by far the most common of the large tubenoses off the California seacoast, where it patrols the coolest waters of the continental slope year-round, most commonly during the summer months and most commonly north from Monterey Bay. 
    
    
67. Laysan Albatross  (t3)  ______  PR:r
    Phoebastria immutabilis
    
    The Laysan Albatross is rather rare in California oceanic waters. It tends to occur beyond the shelf break in open ocean.
    
    
68. Short-tailed Albatross  (t3)  ______  PR:x
    Phoebastria albatrus 
    
    Before 1900, the Short-tailed Albatross could be rather common close to the California coast, but the decimation in the early 20th Century of the nesting birds in Japan substantially reduced the population.   
    
    Federally, the Short-tailed Albatross is classified as ENDANGERED.  
    
    
69. Shy Albatross  (NAr) (ph)  ______
    Thalassarche cauta
    
    
70. Light-manted Albatross  (NAr)  ______
    Phoebetria palpebrata
    
    
71. Wandering Albatross  (NAr)  ______ 
    Diomedea exulans
    
    
72. Northern Fulmar  (ph) (*)  ______  (mp)  PR:fc
    Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Northern Fulmar
    (photos by Alan Brady)
    
    
73. White-chinned Petrel  (NAr)  ______
    Procellaria aequinoctialis
    
    
74. Great-winged Petrel  (NAr)  ______
    Pterodroma macroptera
    
    
75. HAWAIIAN PETREL  (t3) (NAr) (*)  ______ (mp)  (during the FONT tour in 2005) (formerly conspecific with what is now the Galapagos Petrel; was called Dark-rumped Petrel) 
    Pterodroma sandwichensis  (monotypic)
    
    
76. Murphy's Petrel  (nt)  ______
    Pterodroma ultima
    
    
77. Mottled Petrel  (nt) (NAr)  ______  PR:x
    Pterodroma inexpectata
    
    
78. Cook's Petrel  (t2)  ______
    Pterodroma cookii
    
    
79. Stejneger's Petrel  (t3) (NAr)  ______
    Pterodroma longirostris
    
    
80. Bulwer's Petrel  (NAr) (ph)  ______
    Bulweria bulwerii
    
    
81. Streaked Shearwater  (NAr)  ______
    Calonectris leucomelas
    
    
82. Cory's Shearwater  (CAr) (ph)  ______  
    Calonectris diomedea
    
    
83. Sooty Shearwater  (ph) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:c
    Puffinus griseus  (monotypic)
    
    
    
    
    A Sooty Shearwater photographed during a FONT tour.
    
    
84. Short-tailed Shearwater  (ph) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:r
    Puffinus tenuirostris  (monotypic)
    
    
    
    
    A Short-tailed Shearwater photographed during a FONT tour.
    
    
    
85. Pink-footed Shearwater  (t3) (ph) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:u
    Puffinus creatopus  (monotypic)
    
    
    
    
    A Pink-footed Shearwater photographed during a FONT tour.
    
    
86. Flesh-footed Shearwater  (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:r
    Puffinus carneipes  (monotypic)  
    
    
87. Buller's (or New Zealand) Shearwater  (t3) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR;u
    Puffinus bulleri  (monotypic)
    
    
88. Black-vented Shearwater  (t3) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:r
    Puffinus opisthomelas  (monotypic) 
    
    
89. Great Shearwater  (CAr)  ______
    Puffinus gravis
    
    
90. Wedge-tailed Shearwater  (NAr)  ______
    Puffinus pacificus
    
    
91. Manx Shearwater  (CAr)  ______
    Puffinus puffinus
    
    
92. Least Storm Petrel (*)  ______ (mp) 
    Oceanodroma (formerly Halocyptena) microsoma  (monotypic) 
    
    
93. Ashy Storm Petrel  (nt) (CA:qe) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:fc
    Oceanodroma homochroa  (monotypic)
    
    The global population of the Ashy Storm Petrel is essentially confined to offshore California islands: the Farallons (75 per cent of the population) and the Channel Islands (the rest), where there are very limited breeding opportunities in rocky crevices.
    Most of these storm petrels flock together in Monterey Bay in the fall, potentially exposing the entire population to any single, possible calamity. 
    And of course the concentrated breeding colonies also face threats such as nest disturbance by humans and livestock, and predation by introduced mammals such as rats and cats, and depredation by gulls. These are threats to many of California's seabirds, but the Ashy Storm Petrel, being so local and geographically isolated, is especially susceptible. 
    
    
94. Black Storm Petrel  (*)  ______ (mp)  
    Oceanodroma melania  (monotypic)
    
    
95. Wilson's Storm Petrel  (wNAr) (ph) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:x
    Oceanites o. oceanicus
    
    
96. Fork-tailed Storm Petrel  ______  PR:r
    Oceanodroma furcata
    
    
97. Leach's Storm Petrel  ______  PR:u
    Oceanodroma leucorhoa
    
    Various subspecies of Leach's Storm Petrels have been seen in California offshore waters. Among the notable subspecies in the eastern Pacific Ocean are these:  
    
    Oceanodroma leucorhoa chapmani  (the "Chapman's Storm Petrel"): Described in 1937. it differs from the nominate subspecies (which is usually white-rumped) by having a smaller size and some subtle differences in proportions, and by being mainly dark-rumped. It occurs in the eastern Pacific ocean off California and Mexico.
    
    Oceanodroma leucorhoa socorroensis  (the "Townsend's Storm Petrel"): Described in 1890. On islets off the south end of the Guadalupe Islands of Mexico (mainly on Islote Afuera & on Isolote Negro). It is a summer breeder. The population on Isolote Afuera has been estimated as being about 4,000 birds, and that on Isolote Negro as 3,000 birds.
    
    Oceanodroma leucorphoa cheimomnestes  (the "Ainley's Storm Petrel"):  Described in 1980. On Guadalupe Island, Mexico. It is a winter breeder. Generally, after breeding, the "Ainley's Storm Petrel" seems to travel southward, based on limited specimen data. 
    
    
98. Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel  (NAr)  ______
    Oceanodroma tethys 
    
    
99. Hornby's Storm Petrel  (NAr)  ______
    Oceanodroma hornbyi
    
    
100. Pied-billed Grebe  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Podilymbus p. podiceps
     
     
101. Least Grebe  (ph)  ______
     Tachybaptus dominicus
     
     
102. Horned Grebe  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Podiceps auritus cornutus
     
     
103. Red-necked Grebe  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Podiceps grisegena holboellii
     
     
104. Eared Grebe  (ph) (*)  ______  (also called Black-necked Grebe)  PR:fc
     Podiceps nigricollis californicus
     
     
105. Western Grebe  (ph) (*)  ______ (was conspecific with the Clark's Grebe)  PR:c
     Aechmophorus occidentalis
     
     
106. Clark's Grebe  (*)  ______  (was conspecific with the Western Grebe)   PR:u
     Aechmophorus clarkii
     
     
107. White-faced Ibis  (ph) (*)  ______   PR:x
     Plegadis chichi  (monotypic)
     
     
108. Glossy Ibis  (ph)  ______
     Plegadis falcinellus
     
     
109. American White Ibis  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Eudocimus albus
     
     
110. Roseate Spoonbill  (ph)  ______
     Ajaia ajaja
     
     
111. Wood Stork  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Mycteria americana
     
     
112. American Bittern  (ph) (*)  ______  (during FONT California tours in 1991 & 2005)  PR:r
     Botaurus lentiginosus
     
     
     
     
     American Bittern
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
113. Least Bittern  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Ixobrychus exilis
     
     
114. Great Blue Heron  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Ardea herodias fannini
     
     
115. Great Egret  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Casmerodius (has been Ardea) alba egretta
     
     
116. Snowy Egret  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Egretta thula brewsteri
     
     
117. Little Blue Heron  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Egretta caerulea
     
     
118. Tricolored Heron  (ph)  ______
     Egretta tricolor
     
     
119. Reddish Egret  (ph)  ______  
     Egretta rufescens
     
     
120. Western Cattle Egret  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Bubulcus ibis
     
     
121. Green Heron  (*)  ______  PR:r
     Butorides virescens anthonyi
     
     
122. Black-crowned Night Heron  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli
     
     
123. Yellow-crowned Night Heron  (ph)  ______
     Nyctanassa violacea
     
     
124. RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD  (NAp) (*)  ______ (mp)  (during FONT tour in 1995)
     Phaethon rubricauda melanorhynchos
     
     
125. Red-billed Tropicbird  (ph)  ______
     Phaethon aethereus
     
     
126. White-tailed Tropicbird  (ph)  ______
     Phaethon lepturus
     
     
127. Magnificent Frigatebird  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Fregata magnificens
     
     
128. Great Frigatebird  (NAr)  ______
     Fregata minor 
     
     
129. Nazca Booby  (ph)  ______
     Sula granti
     
     
130. Blue-footed Booby  (ph)  _______
     Sula nebouxii
     
     
131. Brown Booby  (ph)  ______
     Sula leucogaster 
     
     
132. Red-footed Booby  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Sula sula
     
     
133. American White Pelican  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Pelecanus erythrorhynchos  (monotypic) 
     
     
134. Brown Pelican  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
     
     Both federally and in the state of California, the Brown Pelican has been classified as ENDANGERED.
      
     
     
     
     Brown Pelican, the race californicus
     (photo by Abram Fleishman)
     
     
135. Double-crested Cormorant  (*)  ______ PR:c
     Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus
     
     
136. Brandt's Cormorant  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Phalacrocorax penicillatus  (monotypic)  
     
     
137. Pelagic Cormorant  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Phalacrocorax pelagicus resplendens
     
     
138. Neotropic Cormorant  (ph)  ______
     Phalacrocorax brasilianus mexicanus
     
     
139. Anhinga  (ph)  ______
     Anhinga anhinga leucogaster
     
     
140. Turkey Vulture  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Cathartes a. aura
     
     
141. Black Vulture  (ph)  ______
     Coragyps atratus
     
     
142. California Condor  (t1) (ph)  ______  (was extirpated in the wild in California; since then, introduced)
     Gymnogyps californianus
     
     By 1982, only 22 free-ranging California Condors remained in California. By 1986, only 1 female and 4 male condors roamed free. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife sanctioned capturing those birds and adding them to the captive breeding population. The last one was captured in April 1987.
     
     In 1992, 63 condors existed in captivity. A few were released that year into the wild. 8 young birds were returned to California, but within a couple years, half had perished from collisions with power lines, shooting, or poisoning.    
     
     Both federally and in the state of California, the California Condor is classified as ENDANGERED.
     
     
     
     
     The above photograph, taken in California in 1981,
     is one of the last California Condors in the wild.
     (photo by Armas Hill)
     
     
143. Osprey  (ph) (*)  ______   PR:fc
     Pandion haliaetus carolinensis  (the single member of its genus)  
     
     
144. White-tailed Kite  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Elanus leucurus majusculus
     
     
145. Mississippi Kite  ______
     Ictinia mississippiensis 
     
     
146. Bald Eagle  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Haliaeetus leucocephalus
     
     Federally the Bald Eagle was classified as THREATENED. In California, it has been classified as ENDANGERED.
     
     
147. Northern Harrier  (ph) (*)  ______ (was considered conspecific with the Hen Harrier, Circus cyaneus, of Eurasia)  PR:fc
     Circus hudsonius
     
     
148. Sharp-shinned Hawk  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Accipiter striatus velox
     
     
149. Cooper's Hawk  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Accipiter cooperi  (monotypic)
     
     
150. Northern Goshawk  _______  PR:x
     Accipiter gentilis
     
     
151. Common Black Hawk  (ph)  ______
     Buteogallus anthracinus
     
     
152. Harris's Hawk  (ph)  ______
     Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi
     
     
153. Red-shouldered Hawk  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Buteo lineatus elegans
     
     In the western US, the Red-shouldered Hawk is almost entirely confined to California, with a small number occurring into southern Oregon.    
     
     
     
     
     A juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
       
     
154. Red-tailed Hawk  (ph) (*) ______  PR:c
     Buteo jamaicensis calurus  (this subspecies of the western US has pale, rufous, and dark morphs.)
     
     
155. Swainson's Hawk  (ph) (*)  ______ (occurs in 2 morphs: light & dark)  PR:x
     Buteo swainsoni  (monotypic)
     
     The Swainson's Hawk is classified as THREATENED in California.
     
     
156. Broad-winged Hawk  ______  PR:r
     Buteo p. platypterus
     
     
157. Ferruginous Hawk  (nt) (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Buteo regalis  (monotypic)
     
     
158. Rough-legged Hawk  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis
     
     
159. Zone-tailed Hawk  (ph)  ______
     Buteo albonotatus
     
     
160. Golden Eagle  (*)  ______  PR:r
     Aquila chrysaetos canadensis
     
     
161. American Kestrel  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Falco s. sparverius
     
     
162. Merlin  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Falco c. columbarius
     
     
163. Peregrine Falcon  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Falco peregrinus
     
     
164. Prairie Falcon  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Falco mexicanus
     
     
165. Gryfalcon  ______
     Falco rusticolus
     
     
166. Clapper Rail  (ph) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 1994)  PR:x
     Rallus longirostris  (3 subspecies in California)
     Rallus longirostris obsoletus  (*)
     Rallus longirostris levipes
     Rallus longirostris yumanensis
     
     Two of the subspecies in California, obsoletus & yumanensis, are classified in the state as ENDANGERED. Obsoletus is classified as federally ENDANGERED.
     Rallus longirostris obsoletus, sometimes called the "California Clapper Rail", is now restricted almost entirely to the San Francisco Bay's tidal marshes. Formerly, Morro Bay was one of the few locations outside the Bay Area where it occurred, but it has not been found there since the mid 1970s. 
     Further southward, the below Point Conception, the "Light-footed Clapper Rail", R. l. levipes, replaces obsoletus, and although gone from most of its former haunts, it can still be found in appropriate habitat in upper Newport Bay, the Tijuana River mouth, and patches of habitat in the San Elijo Lagoon and south San Diego Bay.  
     
     
167. Virginia Rail  (ph) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 1991)  PR:fc
     Rallus l. limicola
     
     
     
     
     Virginia Rail
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
168. Sora  (*)  ______  (sometimes called Sora Rail, but actually in a genus of crakes)  PR:u
     Porzana carolina  (monotypic)
     
     
169. Black Rail  ______  PR:r
     Laterallus jamaicensis cortuniculus
     
     The Black Rail is classified as THREATENED in California. 
     
     
170. Yellow Rail  ______  PR:x
     Coturnicops noveboracensis
     
     
171. Common Gallinule  (ph) (*)  ______  (was conspecific with the Common Moorhen of the Old World, Gallinula chloropus)  PR:r
     Gallinula galeata  
     
     
172. Purple Gallinule  (ph)  ______
     Porphyrio martinica
     
     
173. American Coot  (*)  ______   PR:c
     Fulica a. americana
     
     
174. Sandhill Crane  (ph) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 2005)  PR:x
     Grus canadensis tabida
     
     In California, the Sandhill Crane, the subspecies g. c. tabida, is classified as THREATENED.
       
     
175. Black-bellied Plover  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Pluvialis squatarola cynosurae
     
     
176. American Golden Plover  (ph)  ______  PR:u
     Pluvialis dominica
     
     
177. Pacific Golden Plover  ______  PR:u
     Pluvialis fulva
     
     
178. Snowy Plover  (ph) (*)  ______ (was conspecific with the Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, of the Old World)  PRfc
     Charadrius nivosus  
     
     Federally, the Snowy Plover is classified as THREATENED. 
     
     
179. Semipalmated Plover  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Charadrius semipalmatus  (monotypic)    
     
     
180. LESSER SAND PLOVER  (NAr) (ph) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 1992)  (was called Mongolian Plover)
     Charadrius mongolus stegmanni
     
     
     
     
     A photograph of the Lesser Sand Plover seen during 
     the FONT tour in California in 1992.  
      
     
181. Killdeer  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Charadrius v. vociferus
     
     
182. Mountain Plover  (t3) (USneb) (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Charadrius montanus
     
     The population of the Mountain Plover has seriously declined in the last 25 years, and the species is now classified as "vulnerable" by Birdlife International.
     
     It has been said that about 80 per cent of the Mountain Plover population winters in California, with nearly a quarter of them in the Central Valley. 
     During a census in 1998, 2.663 birds were counted , with the two largest flocks containing about 250 birds each. One of those flocks was in Yolo County, and the other was in the Imperial Valley.    
     
     
183. Wilson's Plover  (ph)  ______
     Charadrius wilsonia
     
     
184. Piping Plover  ( )  (ph)  ______  
     Charadrius melodus
     
     
185. Greater Sandplover  (NAr)  ______
     Charadrius leschenaultii
     
     
186. Eurasian Dotterel  (NAr) (CAr) (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Charadrius morinellus
     
     
187. Black Oystercatcher  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Haematopus bachmani
     
     
     
     
     A Black Oystercatcher photographed during a FONT West Coast Tour
     (photo by Marie Gardner)
      
     
188. American Oystercatcher  (ph)  ______
     Haematopus palliatus
     
     
189. Black-necked Stilt  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Himantopus  mexicanus  (has been considered by some conspecific with the Black-winged Stilt of the Old World) 
     
     
190. American Avocet  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Recurvirostra americana  (monotypic)  
     
     
191. Greater Yellowlegs  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Tringa melanoleuca  (monotypic)    
     
     
192. Lesser Yellowlegs  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Tringa flavipes  (monotypic)   
     
     
193. "Western" Willet  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Tringa (formerly Catoptrophorus) semipalmata inornata
     
     
194. Solitary Sandpiper  ______  PR:r
     Tringa solitarius
     
     
195. Common Greenshank  (NAr)  ______
     Tringa nebularia
     
     
196. Spotted Redshank  (NAr)  ______
     Tringa erythropus
     
     
197. Wandering Tattler  (*)  ______  PR:u
     Heteroscelus incanus  (monotypic)   
     
     
198. Grey-tailed Tattler  (NAr)  ______
     Heteroscelus brevipes
     
     
199. Spotted Sandpiper  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Actitis macularius  (monotypic)  
     
     
200. Terek Sandpiper  (NAr)  ______
     Xenus cinereus
     
     
201. Upland Sandpiper  (CAr)  ______
     Bartramia longicauda
     
     
202. "American" Whimbrel  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus
     
     
203. LITTLE CURLEW  (NAr) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1994)
     Numenius minutus
     
     
204. Long-billed Curlew  (nt) (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Numenius americanus parvus
     
     
205. Bristle-thighed Curlew  (t3) (NAr) (CAr)  ______ 
     Numenius tahitiensis
     
     
206. Marbled Godwit  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Limosa fedoa
     
     
     
     
     The Marbled Godwit is a common bird 
     along the California coast in September 
     (photo by Abram Fleishman)
     
     
207. BAR-TAILED GODWIT  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:x
     Limosa lapponica baueri
     
     
208. Hudsonian Godwit  ______
     Limosa haemastica
     
     
209. Ruddy Turnstone  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Arenaria interpres morinella
     
     
210. Black Turnstone  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Arenaria melanocephala
     
     
211. Surfbird  (*)  ______  PR:r
     Aphriza virgata  (monotypic, and the single member of its genus)
     
     In California, Surfbirds are very local, occurring rather commonly at some sites, but very sparingly, if at all, at others. 
     It is always a surprise to see Surfbirds at Point Reyes, for example, but they can be expected at Bodega Bay, in similar habitat, just 10 miles north.  
     
     
212. Red Knot  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Calidris canutus rufa
     
     
213. Sanderling  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Calidris alba rubida
     
     
214. Pectoral Sandpiper  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Calidris melanotos  (monotypic)   
     
     
215. Baird's Sandpiper  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Calidris bairdii  (monotypic)
     
     
216. Western Sandpiper  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Calidris mauri
     
     
217. Semipalmated Sandpiper  (wNAr) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 1993)  PR:r
     Calidris pusilla
     
     
218. Least Sandpiper  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Calidris minutilla
     
     
219. LONG-TOED STINT  (NAr) (ph) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 1992)
     Calidris subminuta
     
     
220. Dunlin  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Calidris alpina
     
     
221. Rock Sandpiper  ______  PR:x
     Calidris ptilocnemis
     
     The Rock Sandpiper is essentially a sedentary resident of the Bering Sea shores, but some of its population moves southward in the non-breeding season into northern California. It is found, uncommonly, along Humboldt's craggier coastline, and more rarely further south along the California seacoast. 
     An apparent scarcity of the Rock Sandpiper in California in recent decades may be the result of a northward contraction of its range in winter, rather than a population decline.      
     
     
222. White-rumped Sandpiper  ______  PR:x
     Calidris fuscicollis
     
     
223. Red-necked Stint  (NAr) (ph)  ______
     Calidris ruficollis
     
     
224. Little Stint  (NAr)  ______  PR:x
     Calidris minuta
     
     
225. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper  (NAr)  ______  PR:x
     Calidris acuminata
     
     
226. Curlew Sandpiper  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     
     
227. Stilt Sandpiper  ______  PR:x
     Calidris (has been Micropama) himantopus
     
     
228. Buff-breasted Sandpiper  (nt) (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Limicola falcinellus
     
     
229. Ruff / Reeve  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Philomachus pugnax
     
     
230. Short-billed Dowitcher  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Limnodromus griseus
     
     
231. Long-billed Dowitcher  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Limnodromus scolopaceus 
     
     
232. Wilson's Snipe  (ph)  ______  PR:u
     Gallinago delicata 
     
     
233. Jack Snipe  (NAr)  ______
     Lymnocryptes minmus
     
     
234. American Woodcock  (ph)  ______ 
     Scolopax minor
     
     
235. Wilson's Phalarope  (*)  ______  PR:r 
     Phalaropus tricolor
     
     
236. Red Phalarope  (ph) (*) ______  (mp)  PR:fc
     Phalaropus fulicaria
     
     
     
     
     Red Phalarope
     
     
237. Red-necked Phalarope  (ph) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:fc
     Phalaropus lobatus
     
     
     
     
     A Red-necked Phalarope photographed during a FONT tour in California
     
     
     
238. Pomarine Jaeger  (ph) (*) ______  (mp)  (also called Pomarine Skua)  PR:u
     Stercorarius pomarinus  (monotypic)
     
     
     
     
     A Pomarine Jaeger
     (photo by Alan Brady)
     
     
239. Parasitic Jaeger  (ph) (*)  ______  (mp)  (has also been called Arctic Skua - in Eurasia)  PR:u
     Stercorarius parasiticus  (monotypic)
     
     
240. Long-tailed Jaeger  (ph) (*)  ______ (mp)  (has also been called Long-tailed Skua - in Eurasia)  PR:r
     Stercorarius longicaudus
     
     
     
     
     An immature Long-tailed Jaeger
     (photo by Alan Brady)
     
     
241. South Polar Skua  (ph) (*) ______  (mp)  PR:r
     Stercorarius (or Catharacta) maccormicki
     
     
     
     
     South Polar Skua
     (photo by Alan Brady)
     
     
242. Franklin's Gull  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Leucophaeus (formerly Larus) pipixcan
     
     
243. Laughing Gull  (ph)  ______
     Leucophaeus (formerly Larus) atricilla
     
     
244. Black-headed Gull  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Chroicocephalus (formerly Larus) ridibudus 
     
     
245. Bonaparte's Gull  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Chroicocephalus (formerly Larus) philadelphia
     
     
246. Little Gull  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Hydrocoloeus (formerly Larus) minutus
     
     
247. Heermann's Gull  (nt) (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Larus heermanni   
     
     The Heermann's Gull breeds south of California on islands off Baja California, Mexico. It is found along the California coast mainly in the fall and winter, where it often accompanies Brown Pelicans, snapping up fish that escape from the pelican's pouches.    
     
     
     
     
     Heermann's Gull
     (photo by Armas Hill)
     
     
248. Ring-billed Gull  (ph) (*)  ______   PR:c
     Larus delawarensis
     
     
249. California Gull  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Larus c. californicus
     
     
     
     
     California Gull
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
250. "American" Herring Gull  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Larus argentatus smithsonianus
     
     
251. Western Gull  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Larus o. occidentalis
     
     
252. Glaucous-winged Gull  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Larus glaucescens
     
     
253. Mew Gull ______  (called Common Gull in Eurasia)  PR:c
     Larus canus brachyrhynchus
     
     
254. Yellow-footed Gull  (ph)  ______
     Larus livens
     
     
255. Thayer's Gull  ______  PR:u
     Larus thayeri
     
     
256. Glaucous Gull  (ph)  ______   PR:r
     Larus hyperboreus
     
     
257. Iceland Gull  (ph)  ______ 
     Larus glaucoides kumlieni
     
     
258. Lesser Black-backed Gull  (ph)  ______
     Larus fuscus graellsii
     
     
259. Belcher's Gull  (NAr)  ______  (has been called Band-tailed Gull)
     Larus belcheri
     
     
260. Black-tailed Gull  (NAr) (ph)  ______
     Larus crassirostris
     
     
261. Sabine's Gull  (ph) (*)  ______  (mp)  PR:r
     Xema sabini
     
     
262. Black-legged Kittiwake  (ph) (*)  ______  (mp) PR:u 
     Rissa tridactyla
     
     
263. Red-legged Kittiwake  ( ) (CAr)  ______
     Rissa revirostris
     
     
264. Ivory Gull  (CAr) (ph)  ______
     Pagophila eburnea
     
     
265. Gull-billed Tern  ______
     Gelochelidon (formerly Sterna) nilotica 
     
     
266. Caspian Tern  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Hydroprogne (formerly Sterna) c. caspia
     
     
267. Arctic Tern  (*)  ______ (mp) PR:u
     Sterna paradisaea
     
     
268. Forster's Tern  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Sterna forsteri
     
     
269. Common Tern  (*)  ______  PR:u
     Sterna h. hirundo
     
     
270. Royal Tern  (ph) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 1992)  PR:x
     Thalasseus (formerly Sterna) m. maxima
     
     
271. Elegant Tern  (nt) (*)   ______  PR:c
     Thalasseus (formerly Sterna) elegans
     
     
272. Sandwich Tern  ______ 
     Thalasseus (formerly Sterna) sandvicensis acuflavida
     
     
273. Least Tern  ______  PR:x
     Sternula (formerly Sterna) antillarum
     
     
274. Bridled Tern  (ph)  ______
     Onychopion (formerly Sterna) anaethetus
     
     
275. Sooty Tern  (ph)  ______
     Onychopion (formerly Sterna) fuscata
     
     
276. Black Tern  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:x
     Chlidonias niger surinamensis
     
     
277. WHITE-WINGED TERN  (NAr) (ph) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1999)
     Chlidonias leucopterus
     
     
     
     
     
     
     The White-winged Tern is a Eurasian bird.
     These two photos of the species were taken in North America.
     (photos by Alan Brady)
      
     
278. Black Skimmer  (ph)  ______
     Rynchops niger
     
     
279. Common Murre  (ph) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:c
     Uria aalge californica
     
     The Common Murre has been a dominant member of the California breeding seabird community. It has had a variable history of decline and recovery, but numbers have suffered in recent decades because of mortality from the gill-net fishery and oil spills. There has also been low reproductive success caused by an increasing frequency of El Nino events.
     
     In central California, the population was decimated in the late 1800s and early 1900s by an "egging" operation out of San Francisco. After the chicken poultry industry was established and the demand for Common Murre eggs was reduced, the population rebounded and grew to several hundred thousand breeding pairs in California by the early 1980s. 
     
     That recovery was marred, however, by intense mortality, as just noted, by gill-netting, with as many as 70,000 murres known to have been killed between 1979 and 1987. Legislation to abate "by killing" was enacted in 1987, and the Common Murre was given a reprieve, only to be later hit by oil spills in 1980 & 1984, among others, and then some intense El Nino years
     The central California population declined by 60 per cent in the 1980s, and it has not substantially recovered since. 
     
     
     
     
     Common Murre
     (photo by Kim Steininger)
     
     
280. Thick-billed Murre  ______
     Uria lomvia
     
     
281. Pigeon Guillemot  (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:fc
     Cepphus c. columba
     
     
282. Marbled Murrelet (nt) (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:u
     Brachyramphus marmoratus
     
     The Marbled Murrelet, a small seabird, has the curious and unusual trait of nesting high in the limbs of old-growth coniferous trees in the forest. 
     Its nesting habits are so unusual for a seabird that they remained a mystery until 1974, when a nest was discovered in the Big Basin State Park, in Santa Cruz County.  Other than a smaller population in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the entire breeding range of the Marbled Murrelet in California is in the conifer forests on the immediate coast of Del Norte, Humboldt, and northern Medocino Counties. 
     
     Federally, the Marbled Murrelet is classified as THREATENED. In California, it is classified as ENDANGERED. 
     
     There is a fine book entitled "Rare Bird - Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet", by Maria Mudd Ruth, published in 2005, that is an excellent read about the bird.
     
     
283. Long-billed Murrelet  (NAr) (CAr)  ______
     Brachyramphus perdix
     
     
284. Kittlitz's Murrelet  (t1) (CAr)  ______
     Brachyramphus brevorostris
     
     
285. Xantu's Murrelet  (t3) (*)  ______ (mp) 
     Synthliboramphus hypoleucus scrippsi (northern race: Washington & California)  PR:r
     Synthliboramphus h. hypoleucus (southern race: California)
     
     
286. Craveri's Murrelet  (t3) (*) ______ (mp) 
     Synthliboramphus craveri
     
     
287. Ancient Murrelet  ______  PR:u
     Synthliboramphus antiquus
     
     
288. Cassin's Auklet  (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:c
     Ptychoramphus aleuticus
     
     The population of the Cassin's Auklet has declined precipitously since the 1980s due to an increase in ocean temperature and thermocline depth. 
     The decline of the species has also been due to predation by Western Gulls at breeding sites, particularly at California's largest colony of Cassin's Auklets, on the Farallon Islands. 
     The correlation between an increasing Western Gull population and a decreasing Cassin's Auklet population is emblematic of unintended consequences of the human urbanization of the California coast. Gulls on the Farallon Islands commute regularly (even daily) from Bay Area landfills and dumps, a distance of about 20 miles.
     Cassin's Auklet numbers have also been declining at Price Island in the Channel Islands.
         
     
289. Rhinoceros Auklet  (*)  ______ (mp)  PR:u
     Cerohinca monocerata
     
     
290. Parakeet Auklet  ______  PR:x
     Aethia psittacula
     
     
291. Least Auklet  (ph)  ______
     Aethia pusilla
     
     
292. Crested Auklet  ______  PR:x
     Aethia cristatelia
     
     
293. Tufted Puffin  ______  PR:r
     Fratercula cirrhata
     
     
294. Horned Puffin  ______  PR:x
     Fratercula corniculata
     
     
295. Common (or Feral) Pigeon (NAi) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Columba livia
     
     
296. Band-tailed Pigeon  (*)  _______  PR:fc
     Patagioenas (formerly Columba) flavirostris
     
     
297. White-winged Dove  (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1995)  PR:x
     Zenaida asiatica
     
     
298. Mourning Dove  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Zenaida macroura
     
     
299. Inca Dove  ______
     Columbina (or Scardafella) inca
     
     
300. Common Ground Dove  ______
     Columbina passerina
     
     
301. Ruddy Ground Dove  (NAr)  ______
     Columbina talpacoti
     
     
302. Spotted Dove  (NAi)  ______
     Streptopelia chinensis
     
     
303. Eurasian Collared Dove  (NAi)  ______
     Streptopelia decaocto
     
     
304. White-winged Parakeet  (NAi) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1993)  
     (Was called Canary-winged Parakeet, native to South America. The Canary-winged Parakeet has been "split" into Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Brotogeris chiriri and the White-winged Parakeet.)
     Brotogeris versicolurus
     
      
305. Red-masked Parakeet/Conure  (nt) (NAi) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 2005)
     Aratinga erythrogenys
     
     The native range of the Red-masked Parakeet is in South America, mostly in Ecuador, also Peru. 
     It occurs in San Francisco, especially near Telegraph Hill.
     
     
306. Red-crowned Amazon  (NAi)  ______
     Amazona viridigenalis
     
     
307. Yellow-billed Cuckoo  ______  PR:x
     Coccyzus americanus
     
     
308. Black-billed Cuckoo  ______  PR:x
     Coccyzus erythropithimus
     
     
309. Greater Roadrunner  (ph) (*)  ______ 
     Geococcyx californianus
     
     
310. Groove-billed Ani  (CAr)  ______
     Crotophaga suicirostris
     
     
311. Barn Owl  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Tyto alba pratincola
     
     
312. Western Screech Owl  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u 
     Megascops (formerly Otus) kennicottii
     
     
313. Flammulated Owl  ______
     Megascops  (formerly Otus) flammeolus
     
     
314. Great Horned Owl  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Bubo virginianus saturatus
     
     
315. Snowy Owl  ______  PR:x
     Bubo (formerly Nyctea) scandiacus
     
     
316. Northern Pygmy Owl  (*)  ______   PR:r
     Glaucidium c. californicum  (previously Glaucidium gnoma, which is now said to be Mountain Pygmy-Owl of Mexico & Central America, reaching north into southern Arizona & New Mexico) 
     
     
317. Elf Owl  ______
     Micrathene whitneyi
     
     
318. Burrowing Owl  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r 
     Athene cunicularia hypugaea
     
     
319. Spotted Owl  (ph)  ______  PR:u
     Strix occidentalis
     
     The "Northern Spotted Owl", S. o. caurina, is a characteristic bird of dense, fog-drenched forest. It is rarely noticed because of its strictly nocturnal habits and its quiet demeanor. Because of loss of habitat resulting from aggressive forestry practices in older growth forests, the Spotted Owl is classified as a THREATENED SPECIES both federally and in California.
     It faces another threat as sell. Studies have shown that where the forest has been fragmented by logging, the Barred Owl, Strix varia, has encroached into territory formerly held by the Spotted Owl. Although Spotted Owls require dense forest, Barred Owls are more tolerant of open forests and thus are more adapted to the environment being created by ongoing forestry practices.
     Barred Owls were first detected in the northernmost Coast Ranges of California in the early 1980s. By 2002, they had been found as far south as the Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County, the southernmost locale of the Northern Spotted Owl in the humid north coast forest.
     The theory of "competitive exclusion"" suggest that two such similar species can not coexist, and that ultimately one will displace the other. Larger and adapted t more open habitat than the Spotted Owl, the Barred Owl seems to have the competitive advantage.     
     
     
320. Barred Owl  (ph)  ______
     Strix varia
     
     
321. Great Gray Owl  (ph)  ______
     Strix nebulosa
     
     The Great Gray Owl is classified as ENDANGERED in California. 
     
     
322. Northern Long-eared Owl  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Asio otus
     
     
323. Short-eared Owl  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Asio flammeus
     
     
324. Northern Saw-whet Owl  (ph)  ______  PR:fc
     Aegolius acadius
     
     
325. Common Nighthawk  (*)  ______  PR:x
     Chordeiles minor hesperis
     
     
326. Lesser Nighthawk  ______  PR:x
     Chordeiles acutipennis
     
     
327. Common Poorwill  ______  PR:r
     Phanaenoptilus nuttallii
     
     
328. Chuck-will's-widow  (CAr)  ______
     Caprimulgus carolinensis
     
     
329. Buff-collared Nightjar  (CAr)  ______
     Caprimulgus ridgwayi
     
     
330. Mexican Whip-poor-will  ______  PR:x
     Caprimulgus arizonae
     
     
331. American Black Swift  (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1997)  PR:r
     Cypseloides niger borealis
     
     
332. Vaux's Swift  (*)  ______  PR:u
     Chaetura v. vauxi
     
     
333. Chimney Swift  (CAr)  ______  PR:x
     Chaetura pelagica
     
     
334. White-throated Swift  (*)  ______  PR:r
     Aeronautes saxatalis
     
     
335. White-collared Swift  (CAr)  ______
     Streptoprocne zonaris
     
     
336. Broad-billed Hummingbird  ______
     Cynanthus latirostris
     
     
337. Xantu's Hummingbird  (NAr) (ph)  ______
     Hylocharis xantusii
     
     
338. Violet-crowned Hummingbird  (CAr)  ______
     Amazilia violiceps
     
     
339. Blue-throated Hummingbird  (CAr)  ______  (also called Blue-throated Mountaingem) 
     Lampornis clemenciae
     
     
340. Magnificent Hummingbird  ______
     Eugenes fulgens
      
     
341. Anna's Hummingbird  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Calypte anna
     
     Anna's Hummingbirds are sexually dimorphic, as the plumage of each sex is distinct. The male is festooned with a bright magenta-colored throat (or gorget) and head. The female has a much less conspicuous plumage.
     The Anna's is a common hummingbird, occurring across much of the Pacific slope, moving easily (and often) among habitats, from chaparral and coastal scrub through mixed woodland and riparian edges, exploiting a variety of nectar sources during different seasons. 
     
     Males and females tend to have different habitat preferences, as sexually dimorphic species often do. Male Anna's Hummingbirds take territorial stands in more open situations, as up canyon sides or on hillslopes or out of level washes, while females during the time of their nesting activities adhere to tracts of evergreen trees, most commonly perhaps, those of live oaks.
     This separation of habitat use is possible because male Anna's Hummingbirds are polygynous. They mate with many females and take no part in nesting or chick rearing.  
     
     The widespread introduction of exotic fall-flowering trees and shrubs has enabled Anna's Hummingbirds, both males and females, to overwinter in California.         
     
     
     
     
     Anna's Hummingbirds
     Above: a male 
     Below: a female 
     
     
     
     
     
342. Black-chinned Hummingbird  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Archilochus alexandri
     
     
343. Ruby-throated Hummingbird  (CAr)  ______
     Archilochus colubris
     
     
344. Costa's Hummingbird  (ph)  ______  PR:x 
     Calypte costae
     
     
345. Calliope Hummingbird  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Stellula calliope
     
     
346. Broad-tailed Hummingbird  (ph)  ______
     Selasphorus platycercus
     
     
347. Rufous Hummingbird  (ph)  ______  PR:u
     Selasphorus rufus
     
     
348. Allen's Hummingbird  (ph)  ______  PR:c
     Selasphorus sasin
     
     The breeding range of the Allen's Hummingbird conforms almost exactly with that of the "Nuttall's" White-crowned Sparrow, in the soft chaparral along the California coast.
     Migrating Allen's Hummingbirds do well in suburban environments and habitat edges within the coastal zone.    
     
     
349. Belted Kingfisher  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc 
     Megaceryle (formerly Ceryle) alcyon
     
     
350. Acorn Woodpecker  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Melanerpes formicivorus
     
     The Acorn Woodpecker is an oak-dependent species, rarely wandering far from a forest or savannah with oak trees. Like jays, Acorn Woodpeckers harvest acorns prodigiously but rather than burying them in the ground, they store their bounty in trees. in "granaries", which they supply and maintain communally. 
     The granaries, then, provide a food source for the woodpecker in winter and spring, long after the trees have finished fruiting. Usually, each acorn is placed in a small excavated hole. A variety of trees are selected from granaries, but rarely do the birds use living oaks that have thin bark and hard wood. They prefer the softer dead tissue found in thick-barked trees or dead snags. They also use telephone poles and fence posts. 
     In older granaries, much of the tree or fence post may be riddled with storage holes, but because the woodpeckers avoid living tissue, the borings tend not to damage living trees. By avoiding the moist, living tree tissue (cambium), the acorns dry more readily and are not subject to mold or rot. The colony tends their cache, rotating acorns to aid drying and moving them to smaller holes as the drying acorns shrink, Through their attentive behavior, Acorn Woodpeckers are both stewards and parasites of the oaks.
     
     The stewardship, just described, has caused the Acorn Woodpecker to evolve a complex, communal social system ("cooperative breeding"). The woodpecker colony is an extended family (kinship) group that consists of a breeding core of four or more related males, usually brothers or a father and his sons, who share up to three related females, usually sisters or a mother and her daughters. Older offspring may participate in the group as "helpers", attending to the granaries and assisting in raising younger birds.
     
     
     
     
     Acorn Woodpecker
     (photo by Armas Hill)
     
     
351. Lewis's Woodpecker  ______  PR:x
     Melanerpes lewis
     
     Small groups of Lewis's Woodpeckers sometimes nest in the gaunt snags of burnt-out forests. 
     
     The Lewis's Woodpecker lacks the characteristic undulating flight of other woodpeckers.   
     
     
352. Red-headed Woodpecker  (CAr) (ph)  ______
     Melanerpes erthrocephalus
     
     
353. Gila Woodpecker  (ph)  ______
     Melanerpes uropygialis
     
     The Gila Woodpecker is classified as ENDANGERED in California.
     
     
354. Williamson's Sapsucker  ______
     Sphyrapicus thyroideus
     
     
355. Red-naped Sapsucker  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Sphyrapicus nuchalis
     
     
356. Red-breasted Sapsucker  ______  PR:u
     Sphyrapicus ruber
     
     
357. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  (CAr)  ______  PR:x
     Sphyrapicus varius
     
     
358. Nuttall's Woodpecker  (*)  ______  PR:u
     Picoides nuttallii
     
     The Nuttall's Woodpecker is essentially a bird of California's live oak woodlands, but it also breeds in Baja California and wanders very rarely into Oregon and Nevada.
     
     
359. Ladder-backed Woodpecker  (ph)  ______
     Picoides scalaris
     
     The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is very similar in coloration to the Nuttall's Woodpecker, while its call, a series of rapidly descending notes, is like that of the Downy Woodpecker.
        
     
360. White-headed Woodpecker  (*)  ______  (during FONT California tours in 1997 & 2004)
     Picoides a. albolarvatus
     
     
361. Downy Woodpecker  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Picoides pubescens turati 
     
     
362. Hairy Woodpecker  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Picoides villosus hyloscopus  (in western California)  PR:c
     Picoides villosus orius (in mountains of Washington & California)  PR:r
     
     
363. Black-backed Woodpecker  ______
     Picoides arcticus
     
     
364. "Red-shafted" Northern Flicker  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Colaptes auratus
     
     
365. Gilded Flicker  (ph)  ______
     Colaptes chrysoides
     
     The Gilded Flicker is classified as ENDANGERED in California.
     
     
366. Pileated Woodpecker  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Dryocopus pileatus
     
     
367. Olive-sided Flycatcher  (*)  ______ (an alternate name could be "Boreal Pewee")  PR:fc
     Contopus cooperi  (was for a while Contopus borealis)
     
     
368. Western Wood Pewee  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Contopus sordidulus
     
     
369. Greater Pewee  ______
     Contopus pertinax
     
     
370. Pacific-slope Flycatcher  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Empidonax difficilis 
     
     
371. Willow Flycatcher  (*)  ______  PR:r
     Empidonax trailii extimus
     
     Both federally and in the state of California, the Willow Flycatcher, the subspecies E. t. extimus, are classified as ENDANGERED.
     
     
372. LEAST FLYCATCHER  (wNAr) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1991)  PR:x
     Empidonax minimus
     
     
373. Hammond's Flycatcher  ______  PR:x
     Empidonax hammondii
     
     
374. Gray Flycatcher  ______  PR:x
     Empidonax wrightii
     
     
375. Dusky Flycatcher  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Empidonax obehholseri
     
     
376. Cordilleran Flycatcher  ______
     Empidonax occidentalis
     
     
377. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher  ______
     Empidonax flaviventris
     
     
378. Alder Flycatcher  ______
     Empidonax alnorum
     
     
379. Black Phoebe  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Sayornis nigricans
     
     
380. Say's Phoebe  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Sayornis saya
     
     
381. Eastern Phoebe  ______  PR:x
     Sayornis phoebe
     
     
382. Vermilion Flycatcher  (ph)  ______
     Pyrocephalus rubinus
     
     
383. Ash-throated Flycatcher  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc 
     Myiarchus cinerascens
     
     
384. Brown-crested Flycatcher  ______
     Myiarchus tyrannulus
     
     
385. Dusky-capped Flycatcher  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Myiarchus tuberculifer
     
     
386. Nutting's Flycatcher  ______
     Myiarchus nuttingi
     
     
387. Great Crested Flycatcher  (ph)   ______  PR:x
     Myiarchus crinitus
     
     
388. Brown-crested Flycatcher  ______
     Myiarchus tyrannulus
     
     
389. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher  (CAr)  ______  
     Myiodynastes luteiventris
     
     
390. Western Kingbird  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Tyrannus verticalis
     
     
391. EASTERN KINGBIRD  (wNAr) (ph) (*)  ______  (during FONT California tours in 1991 & 2005)  PR:x
     Tyrannus tyrannus
     
     
392. Cassin's Kingbird  ______  PR:x
     Tyrannus vociferans
     
     
393. Tropical Kingbird  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Tyrannus melancholicus
     
     
394. Couch's Kingbird  (CAr) (ph)  ______
     Tyrannus couchii
     
     
395. Thick-billed Kingbird  (CAr)  ______
     Tyrannus crassirostris 
     
     
396. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher  (CAr) (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Tyrannus forficalus
     
     
397. Fork-tailed Flycatcher  (NAr) (ph)  ______
     Tyrannus savana
     
     
398. Loggerhead Shrike  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Lanius l. ludovicianus
     Lanius ludovicianus mearnsi  
     
     The subspecies L. l. mearnsi is federally classified as an ENDANGERED subspecies. Called the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike, it is restricted to San Clemente Island, 49 miles from the mainland, and 56 square miles in size. Thus, this subspecies has seemingly the smallest range of any bird in North America, and it is one of the most endangered. Although the shrikes formerly occurred throughout the island, defoliation and predation by feral cats and ravens have taken their toll.   
     
     
399. Northern Shrike  (ph)  ______  (called the Great Grey Shrike in Eurasia)  PR:x
     Lanius excubitor
     
     
400. Brown Shrike  (NAr)  _______  PR:x
     Lanius cristatus
     
     
401. Cassin's Vireo  (*)  ______  (was called Solitary Vireo when it was conspecific with what are now the Plumbeous and Blue-headed Vireos)  PR:r
     Vireo cassinii
     
402. Plumbeous Vireo  ______  (was called Solitary Vireo, as was the Cassin's Vireo)  PR:x
     Vireo plumbeus
     
     
403. Hutton's Vireo  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Vireo huttoni
     
     
404. Warbling Vireo  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Vireo gilvus
     
     
405. White-eyed Vireo  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Vireo griseus
     
     
406. Bell's Vireo  (nt)  ______  PR:x
     Vireo bellii
     
     Two subspecies of the Bell's Vireo are classified in California as ENDANGERED: V. b. arizonae & V. b. pusillus. 
     Vireo b. pusillus is federally classified as ENDANGERED.
      
     
407. Gray Vireo  ______
     Vireo vicinior
     
     
408. Yellow-throated Vireo  ______  PR:x
     Vireo flavifrons
     
     
409. Blue-headed Vireo  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Vireo solitarius
     
     
410. Philadelphia Vireo  ______  PR:x
     Vireo philadelphicus 
     
     
411. Red-eyed Vireo  ______  PR:x
     Vireo olivaceus
     
     
412. Yellow-green Vireo  ______
     Vireo flavoviridis
     
     
413. Gray Jay  (ph)  ______
     Perisoreus canadensis 
     
     
414. Steller's Jay  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c 
     Cyanocitta stelleri carbonacea 
     
     
415. Blue Jay  (ph)  ______
     Cyanocitta cristata
     
     
416. Western Scrub Jay  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Aphelocoma c. californica
     
     
417. Island Scrub Jay  (CAe)  ______
     Aphelocoma insularis  
     
     The Island Scrub Jay is restricted entirely to Santa Cruz Island (with 96 square miles) off the southern California coast. It differs from its closest relative on the mainland, the Western Scrub Jay, by its larger size, brighter blue color, hoarser voice, and different breeding behavior.    
     
     
418. Pinyon Jay  (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour in 2004)  PR:x
     Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
     
     
419. Clark's Nutcracker  (*)  ______  PR:x
     Nucifraga columbiana
     
     
420. Black-billed Magpie  (*)  ______  (was conspecific with the Eurasian Magpie, Pica pica) 
     Pica hudsonia 
     
     
421. Yellow-billed Magpie  (CAe) (USe) (ph) (*)  ______
     Pica nuttalli  
     
     In California only, the Yellow-billed Magpie ranges throughout the Central Valley, and along the south coast, but nowhere else except as a rare vagrant.    
     
     
     
     
     Yellow-billed Magpie
     
     
422. American Crow  (*)  ______   PR:fc
     Corvus brachyrhnchos hesperis
     
     
423. Northern Raven  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Corvus corax principalis
     
     
424. Horned Lark  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Eremophila alpestris
     
     
425. Eurasian Skylark  (NAr)  ______  PR:x
     Alaudia arvensis
     
     
426. Cedar Waxwing  (ph)  ______  PR:fc
     Bombycilla garrulus
     
     
427. Bohemian Waxwing  ______
     Bombycilla garrulus
     
     
428. Phainopepla  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:x
     Phainopepla nitens
     
     
429. Purple Martin  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Progne subis
     
     
430. Tree Swallow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Tachycineta bicolor
     
     
431. Violet-green Swallow  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Tachycineta t. thalassina
     
     
432. Bank Swallow  ______  (also called Sand Martin)  PR:r
     Riparia r. riparia
     
     The Bank Swallow is classified as THREATENED in California.
     
     
433. Barn Swallow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Hirundo rustica erythrogaster
     
     
434. American Cliff Swallow  ______  PR:c
     Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
     
     
435. Northern Rough-winged Swallow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Stelgidopteryx s. serripennis
     
     
436. Chestnut-backed Chickadee  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Poecile r. rufescens  (two other subspecies along California coast: P.r. neglectus & P.r. barlowi) 
     
     
437. Mountain Chickadee  (*)  ______  PR:x
     Poecile gambeli baileyae
     
     
438. Black-capped Chickadee  (ph)  ______
     Poecile atricapilla
     
     In California, the Black-capped Chickadee is a montane breeder with a distribution extending into the state to the Klamath Mountains and coastward only as far south as Humboldt County. 
     
     
439. Oak Titmouse  (*)  ______ (was at one time part of Plain Titmouse when it was conspecific with what is now the Juniper Titmouse)  PR:u
     Baeolophus i. inornatus
     
     
440. Juniper Titmouse  ______  (was part of the Plain Titmouse, as was the Oak Titmouse)
     Baeolophus ridgwayi
     
     
441. Verdin  (ph)  ______
     Auriparus flaviceps
     
     
442. American Bushtit  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Psaltriparus minimus (a complex species with 11 subspecies in 3 "groups")
     In California, these 2 subspecies, in the "Minimus Group", the "Plain Bushtit":
     P. m. minimus  (along coastal California)
     P. m. californicus (in California east of the Coastal Range)
     Birds in the "Plumbeous Group", the "Lead-colored Bushtit", P. m. plumbeous, also occur in California east of the Sierra Nevada. 
     
     
443. Red-breasted Nuthatch  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Sitta canadensis
     
     
444. White-breasted Nuthatch  (ph)  (*)  ______  PR:r
     Sitta carolinensis aculeata 
     
     
445. Pygmy Nuthatch  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Sitta pygmaea melanotus  (in northern California)
     Sitta p. pygmaea  (in coastal, central California)
     
     
446. Brown Creeper  (ph) (*)  ______  (an alternate name could be "American Treecreeper")  PR:fc
     Certhia americana occidentalis
     
     
447. Cactus Wren  (ph)  ______
     Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
     
     
448. Rock Wren  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Salpinctes o. obsoletus
     
     
449. Canyon Wren  ______  PR:x
     Catherpes mexicanus
     
     
450. Bewick's Wren  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Thryomanes bewickii spilurus  (in central California)
     
     
451. House Wren  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Troglodytes aedon
     
     
452. Pacific Wren  (*)   ______  (was part of the Winter Wren)  PR:c
     Troglodytes pacificus
     
     
453. Marsh Wren  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Cistothorus palustris aestuarinus  (subspecies in coastal & central California)  
     
     
454. Sedge Wren  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Cistothorus platensis
     
     
455. American Dipper  ______  PR:x
     Cinclus mexicanus
     
     
456. Ruby-crowned Kinglet  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Regulus calendula
     
     
457. Golden-crowned Kinglet  (ph)  ______  PR:fc
     Regulus satrapa
     
     
458. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Polioptila caerulea
     
     
459. California Gnatcatcher  ______
     Polioptila californica
     
     The California and Black-tailed Gnatcatchers are two sibling species that were, until recently, considered subspecies of the same species. 
     The California Gnatcatcher is a bird of the coastal scrub. The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is thoroughly desert adapted.
     
     The subspecies of the California Gnatcatcher, P. c. californica, is federally classified as THREATENED. 
     
     
460. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher  ______
     Polioptila melanura
     
     
461. Lanceolated Warbler  (NAr)  ______
     Locustella lanceolata
     
     
462. Dusky Warbler  (NAr)  ______
     Phylloscopus fuscatus
     
     
463. Arctic Warbler  (CAr)  ______
     Phylloscopus borealis
     
     
464. Red-flanked Bluetail  (ph)  ______
     Luscinia (formerly Tarsiger) cyanurus
     
     
465. Northern Wheatear  (ph)   ______   
     Oenanthe oenanthe
     
     
466. Western Bluebird  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Sialia mexicana
     
     
467. Mountain Bluebird  (ph) (*)  ______ PR:x
     Sialia currucoides
     
     
468. Townsend's Solitaire  ______  PR:x
     Myadestes townsendi
     
     
469. Swainson's Thrush  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Catharus u. ustulatus
     
     The nominate subspecies of the Swainson's Thrush is a summer visitor to California coastal woodlands which resonate, when the birds are there, with their ascending flute-like songs, that are among the most beautiful to be heard in the state, or anywhere.
     
     The subspecies Catharus u. ustulatus was described by Nuttall in 1840. 3 other subspecies of the Swainson's Thrush also occur in California.
     
     
470. Hermit Thrush  (ph)  ______  PR:c
     Catharus guttatus
     
     
471. Veery  ______  PR:x
     Catharus fuscescens
     
     
472. Gray-cheeked Thrush  ______  PR:x
     Catharus minimus
     
     
473. Wood Thrush  ______  PR:x
     Hylocichia mustelina
     
     
474. American Robin  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Turdus migratorius 
     
     
475. Rufous-backed Robin  (NAr)  ______
     Turdus rufopalliatus 
     
     
476. Eye-browed Thrush  (NAr)  ______
     Turdus obscurus
     
     
477. Varied Thrush  (ph)  ______  PR:fc
     Ixoreus naevius  
     
     The Varied Thrush is a denizen of the shady forest, of redwood and spruce, where its sound can be heard, a strange, mechanical "veeeer".  
     
     
478. California Thrasher  (CAqe) (*)  ______ 
     Toxostoma redivivum
     
     
479. Bendire's Thrasher  ______
     Toxostoma bendirei
     
     
480. Le Conte's Thrasher  ______
     Toxostoma lecontei
     
     
481. Crissal Thrasher  ______
     Toxostoma crissale
     
     
482. Curve-billed Thrasher  ______
     Toxostoma curvirostre
     
     
483. Brown Thrasher  ______  PR:x
     Toxostoma rufum 
     
     
484. Sage Thrasher  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Oreoscoptes montanus
     
     
485. Northern Mockingbird  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Mimus polyglottos
     
     
486. Gray Catbird  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Dumetella carolinensis
     
     
487. Common Starling  (NAi) (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Sturnus vulgaris
     
     
488. Wrentit  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Charmaea fasciata 
     
     The distinctive call of the Wrentit is often the only clue to the presence of that secretive denizen of tangled scrub. It is a year-round resident in chaparral and coastal scrub, and endemic to the West Coast from southern Oregon to far-northern Baja California. 
     
     
489. House Sparrow  (NAi) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Passer domesticus
     
     
490. American Pipit  ______  PR:fc
     Anthus rubescens 
     
     
491. Olive-backed Pipit  (NAr) (ph)  ______
     Anthus hodgsoni
     
     
492. Red-throated Pipit  (CAr)  ______  PR:x
     Anthus cervinus
     
     
493. Sprague's Pipit  ( ) (CAr)  ______
     Anthus spragueii
     
     
494. Eastern Yellow Wagtail  (CAr)  ______  PR:x
     Motacilla tschutschensis
     
     
495. Grey Wagtail  (CAr)  ______
     Motacilla cinerea
     
     
496. White Wagtail  (CAr) (ph)  ______  (includes what has been the Black-backed Wagtail)
     Motacilla alba
     
     
497. Brambling  (NAr)  ______  
     Fringilla montifringilla
     
     
498. Gray-crowned Rosy Finch  (ph)  ______
     Leucosticte tephrocotis
     
     
499. Black Rosy Finch  (ph)  ______
     Leucosticte atrata
     
     
500. Pine Grosbeak  (ph)  ______
     Pinicolas enucleator
     
     
501. Purple Finch  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Carpodacus purpureus
     
     
     
     
     A male Purple Finch
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
      
     
502. Cassin's Finch  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:x
     Carpodacus cassinii
     
     
503. House Finch  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Carpodacus mexicanus
     
     
     
     
     House Finch
     (photo by Doris Potter)
     
     
504. Red Crossbill  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Loxia curvirostra
     
     
505. White-winged Crossbill  (ph)  ______
     Loxia leucoptera
     
     
506. Common Redpoll  (ph)  ______
     Acanthis (formerly Carduelis) flammea
     
     
507. Pine Siskin  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Spinus (formerly Carduelis) pinus
     
     
508. Lesser Goldfinch  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Spinus (formerly Carduelis) psaltria
     
     
509. Lawrence's Goldfinch  (*)  ______ (during FONT California tours twice)  PR:x  
     Spinus (formerly Carduelis) lawrencei
     
     
510. American Goldfinch  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Spinus (formerly Carduelis) tristis
     
     
511. Evening Grosbeak  (ph)  _____  PR:r
     Coccothraustes vespertinus 
     
     
512. BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER  (wNAr) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1998)  PR:r 
     Mniotilta varia  (monotypic, and the single member of its genus)
     
     
513. Blue-winged Warbler  (ph)  ______
     Vermivora pinus
     
     
514. Golden-winged Warbler  ______
     Vermivora chrysoptera
     
     
515. Orange-crowned Warbler  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Oreothlypis (formerly Vermivora) celata
     
     
516. Nashville Warbler  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Oreothlypis (formerly Vermivora) ruficapilla
     
     
517. Tennessee Warbler  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Oreothlypis (formerly Vermivora) peregrina
     
     
518. Virginia's Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Oreothlypis (formerly Vermivora) virginiae
     
     
519. Lucy's Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Oreothlypis (formerly Vermivora) luciae
     
     
520. Yellow Warbler  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) petechia 
     
     
521. "Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) coronata auduboni
     
     
522. "Myrtle" Yellow-rumped Warbler  ______  PR:c
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) c. coronata 
     
     
523. NORTHERN PARULA  (wNAr) (ph) (*)  ______   PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Parula) americana
     
     
524. Black-throated Gray Warbler  (*)  ______  PR:u
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) nigrescens
     
     
525. BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER  (wNAr) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1991)   PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) caerulescens
     
     
526. Townsend's Warbler  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) townsendi
     
     
527. Hermit Warbler  (*)  ______  PR:u
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) occidentalis
     
     
528. Palm Warbler  ______  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) palmarum 
     
     
529. BLACKPOLL WARBLER  (ph) (*)   ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1991)  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) striata
     
     
530. Chestnut-sided Warbler  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) pensylvanica
     
     
531. Magnolia Warbler  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) magnolia
     
     
532. Cape May Warbler  ______  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) tigrina
     
     
533. Black-throated Green Warbler  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) virens
     
     
534. Golden-cheeked Warbler  (t2 ) (CAr)  ______
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) chrysoparia
     
     
535. Blackburnian Warbler  (ph)  ______
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) fusca
     
     
536. Yellow-throated Warbler  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) dominica
     
     
537. Grace's Warbler  ______
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) graciae
     
     
538. Pine Warbler  _______  PR:x
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) pinus
     
     
539. Prairie Warbler  (ph)  _______  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) discolor
     
     
540. Bay-breasted Warbler  ______  PR:r
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) castanea
     
     
541. Cerulean Warbler  (t3) (CAr)  ______  PRx
     Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) cerulea
     
     
542. Prothonotary Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Protonotaria citrea
     
     
543. Worm-eating Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Helmitheros vermivorum
     
     
544. Ovenbird  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Seiurus aurocapilla
     
     
545. Northern Waterthrush  ______  PR:r
     Parkesia noveboracensis
     
     
546. Louisiana Waterthrush  ______
     Parkesia motacilla
     
     
547. Connecticut Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Oporornis agilis  (now the single member of its genus) 
      
     
548. Mourning Warbler  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Geothlypis (formerly Oporornis) philadelphia
     
     
549. MacGillivray's Warbler  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Geothlypis (formerly Oporornis) tolmiei
     
     
550. Common Yellowthroat  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Geothlypis trichas
     
     
551. Kentucky Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Geothlypis (formerly Oporornis) formosa
     
     
552. Hooded Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Setophaga (formerly Wilsonia) citrina
     
     
553. Wilson's Warbler  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Cardellina (formerly Wilsonia) pusilla
     
     
554. Canada Warbler  ______  PR:x
     Cardellina (formerly Wilsonia) canadensis
     
     
555. Red-faced Warbler  (CAr)  ______
     Cardellina rubrifrons
     
     
556. AMERICAN REDSTART  (wNAr) (ph) (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1991)  PR:r   
     Setophaga ruticilla
     
     
557. Painted Whitestart  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Myioborus pictus
     
     
558. Yellow-breasted Chat  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Icteria virens
     
     
559. Red-winged Blackbird  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Agelaius phoeniceus
     
     
560. Tricolored Blackbird  (*)  ______  PR:c
     Agelaius tricolor   
     
     The Tricolored Blackbird is a gregarious species, often nesting in large colonies in California lowlands and foothills. It is nearly endemic to California, rarely spilling over the borders of the state, with small colonies in southern Oregon and Baja California. 
     In recent years, the species has had a declining population.
     
     Tricolored Blackbirds are ""itinerant breeders", moving among areas to nest sequentially within a single season. Grasslands in central California regularly support colonies from 5,000 to 10,000 breeding birds and even larger wintering flocks.     
     
     
561. Yellow-headed Blackbird  (ph) (*)  ______ (during the FONT California tour 1998)  PR:x  
     Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus  (monotypic, and the single member of its genus)
     
     
562. Western Meadowlark  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Sturnella neglecta
     
     
563. Brewer's Blackbird  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Euphagus cyanocephalus
     
     
564. Rusty Blackbird  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Euphagus carolinus
     
     
565. Brown-headed Cowbird  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Molothrus ater
     
     
566. Great-tailed Grackle  (ph)  ______
     Quiscalus mexicanus
     
     
567. Common Grackle  ______  PR:x
     Quiscalus quiscula
     
     
568. Hooded Oriole  (*)  ______  (during the FONT California tour in 1991)  PR:x
     Icterus cucullatus
     
     
569. Bullock's Oriole  (ph) (*)  ______ (for a while was merged with the Baltimore Oriole, and called Northern Oriole)  PR:u
     Icterus bullockii
     
     
570. Scott's Oriole  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Icterus parisorum
      
     
571. Orchard Oriole  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Icterus spurius
     
     
572. Baltimore Oriole  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Icterus galbula
     
     
573. Streak-backed Oriole  ______
     Icterus pustulatus
     
     
574. Bobolink  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Dolichonyx oryzivorus
     
     
575. Green-tailed Towhee  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Pipilo (formerly Chlorura) chlorurus
     
     
576. Spotted Towhee  (ph) (*)  ______  (was called Rufous-sided Towhee when it was conspecific with the now Eastern Towhee of North America and the Olive-sided and Socorro Towhees of Mexico) (now said be some to be conspecific with Collared Towhee of Mexico)  PR:c
     Pipilo maculatus
     
     
577. California Towhee  (*)  ______  (formerly called Brown Towhee when previously conspecific with the now Canyon Towhee, Pipilo fuscus)  PR:c
     Pipilo crissalis
     
     The subspecies of the California Towhee, P. c. eremophilus, is classified federally and in California as ENDANGERED. That subspecies is known as the Inyo California Towhee. Fewer than 200 individuals are known to exist. It is a relict population of a species that was historically widespread in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. 
     Due to prehistoric climatic changes beginning in the Pliocene, this population became restricted to mountain areas in the northern Mojave Desert. Its range is now limited to riparian habitats within the southern Argus Range in Inyo County, where it is geographically isolated from other subspecies of the California Towhee. The population is dependent on a limited riparian habitat that has been reduced or eliminated by human activities, such as grazing, removal of water, mining, recreational and military activities, and "development"..      
     
     
578. Abert's Towhee  (ph)   ______
     Pipilo aberti
     
     
579. Rufous-crowned Sparrow (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Aimophila r. ruficeps
     
     
580. Cassin's Sparrow  ______
     Aimophila cassinii
     
     
581. Chipping Sparrow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Spizella passerina boreophila
     
     
582. Brewer's Sparrow  (nt) (ph) (*)  ______  PR:x
     Spizella b. breweri  (this subspecies valid as long as "Timberline Sparrow" of Canada is considered conspecific)
     
     
583. Clay-colored Sparrow  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Spizella pallida
     
     
584. Black-chinned Sparrow  ______  PR:x
     Spizella atrogularis
     
     
585. American Tree Sparrow  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Spizella arborea
     
     
586. Field Sparrow  _______
     Spizella pusilla
     
     
587. Vesper Sparrow  (*)  ______ (an uncommon migrant in California)  PR:r
     Pooecetes gramineus affinis
     
     
588. Lark Sparrow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:r
     Chondestes grammacus
     
     
589. Black-throated Sparrow  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Amphispiza bilineata
     
     
590. Sage Sparrow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:x
     Amphispiza n. nevadensis  (if considered distinct from "Bell's Sparrow" of coastal California, Amphispiza belli - the two have traditionally been merged as the Sage Sparrow, Amphispiza belli)
     
     The subspecies of the Sage Sparrow, A. n. clementae, is federally classified as THREATENED. 
     
     
591. Lark Bunting  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Calamospiz melanocorys
     
     
592. Savannah Sparrow  (ph) (*)  ______   PR:c
     Passerculus sandwichensis  (the single member of its genus)
     Passerculus sandwichensis rostratus
     Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi
     
     The endangered "Belding's Savannah Sparrow", P. s. beldingi, still continues as a permanent resident of fragmented marshes from Santa Barbara southward to San Diego.
     Another race so distinctive, that some have considered it a species, is the "Large-billed Savannah Sparrow". P. s. rostratus, with a wintering range in California restricted entirely to tidal marshes from San Diego north to Morro Bay.
     
     The subspecies P. s. beldingi is classified as ENDANGERED in California. 
     
     
593. Grasshopper Sparrow  (ph)  ______  PR:u
     Ammodramus savannarum
     
     
594. Baird's Sparrow  ______
     Ammodramus bairdii 
     
     
595. LeConte's Sparrow  (ph)  ______
     Ammodramus leconteii
      
     
596. Nelson's Sparrow  ______  (was formerly, with the Saltmarsh Sparrow, part of the Sharp-tailed Sparrow)  PR:x
     Ammodramus nelsoni
     
     
597. "Slate-colored" Fox Sparrow  ______  PR:c
     Passerella iliaca schistacea
     
     
598. Song Sparrow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Melospiza melodia   (there are 11 subspecies in California)
     
     Three distinct geographic races of endemic salt marsh Song Sparrows are restricted almost entirely to the San Francisco tidal marshes:
     M. m. samuelis, the "San Pablo Song Sparrow",
     M. m. maxillaris, the "Suisun Song Sparrow", and
     M. m. pusillula, the "Alameda Song Sparrow".
     Among the most sedentary of California's birds, these tidal marsh Song Sparrows maintain territories year-round, although they actively defend them only in the breeding season, which, as with most resident birds, begins yearly in the season. However, these marsh-dwelling sparrows nest even earlier than the sparrows in adjacent upland habitats. They are in full song by mid-February, and eggs incubated by mid-March. Because the marsh sparrows build their nests mostly in tidal marsh vegetation, often within a few inches of the ground, early nesting enables the sparrows to fledge young before spring high tides inundate the marshes each May and June. 
     Other marsh-nesters also phase their nesting to miss the high springs tides. 
     Although their habitat is quite restricted in extent, the marsh sparrows occur in extremely high densities, an average of about 9 birds per acre. The needs a sparrow pair and offspring (they may produce 2 or 3 clutches in a season) are provided year-round within a fraction of an acre, indicative of the richness of tidal marsh habitat.
     
     The songs of Song Sparrows vary widely among individuals and populations, but collectively these variations are characteristic of California's wetlands.
           
     
599. Lincoln's Sparrow  ______  PR:u
     Melospiza lincolnii
     
     
600. Swamp Sparrow  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Melospiza georgiana
     
     
601. White-crowned Sparrow  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:c
     Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli  
     
     The "Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow", Z. l. nuttalli, is a year-round resident along the immediate California coast. In the spring, its sweet song is heard from the lupine-covered dunes and coastal scrub within the "fog belt",
     Other more-northerly subspecies, the "Gambel's" and the "Puget Sound" White-crowned Sparrows. Z. l, gambelii and Z. l. pugetensis respectively, arrive in California to spend the winter, but the "Nuttall's" stays all year.  
     
     Along the California coast, from Bodega Bay to Bolinas, there is a distinct variation in the basic song of the resident White-crowned Sparrows. Usually the last four notes of the song vary, but in a recognizable way. The dialects do not change gradually, but rather abruptly, so the Boderga dialect sounds nothing like that of Bolinas. These sparrow s are sedentary, and therefore evolutionary products of their coastal neighborhoods. Through their songs, the birds may express a subtle variety that exists in their natural habitat, the soft chaparral of California's central coast.    
     
     
     
     
     White-crowned Sparrow
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
602. Golden-crowned Sparrow  ______  PR:c
     Zonotrichia atricapilla
     
     
603. White-throated Sparrow  ______  PR:r
     Zonotrichia albicollis
     
     
604. Harris's Sparrow  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Zonotrichia querula   
     
     
605. "Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco  (*)  ______   
     Junco hyemalis oreganus  PRc
     Junco hyemalis shufeldti  (coastal California)  PRr
     Junco hyemalis pinosus (in hills in central California) 
     Junco hyemalis caniceps   PRx
     
     
606. Lapland Longspur  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Calcarius lapponicus
     
     
607. Chestnut-collared Longspur  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Calcarius ornatus
     
     
608. McCown's Longspur  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Calcarius mccownii
     
     
609. Smith's Longspur  _______
     Calcarius pictus
     
     
610. Little Bunting  (NAr)  ______
     Emberiza pusilia
     
     
611. Rustic Bunting  (NAr)  ______
     Emberiza rustica
     
     
612. Snow Bunting  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Calcarius (formerly Okectrophenax) nivalis
     
     
613. Western Tanager  (ph) (*)  ______  PR:u
     Piranga ludoviciana
     
     
614. Summer Tanager  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Piranga rubra
     
     
615. Hepatic Tanager  ______
     Piranga hepatica
     
     
616. Scarlet Tanager  (ph) _______  PR:x
     Piranga olivacea
     
     
617. Dickcissel  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Spiza americana
     
     
618. Northern Cardinal  (ph)  ______
     Cardinalis cardinalis
     
     
619. Pyrrhuloxia  (ph)  ______
     Cardinalis sinnatus
     
     
620. Black-headed Grosbeak  (*)  ______  PR:fc
     Pheucticus melanocephalus
     
     
621. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK  (wNAr) (ph) (*)   ______  (during FONT California tours in 1998 & 2005)  PR:r
     Pheucticus ludovicianus
     
     
622. Blue Grosbeak  (ph)  ______  PR:x
     Passerina caerulea
     
     
623. Lazuli Bunting  (ph)  ______  PR:u
     Passerina amoena
     
     
624. Indigo Bunting  (ph)  ______  PR:r
     Passerina cyanea
     
     
625. Varied Bunting  ______
     Passerina versicolor
     
     
626. Painted Bunting  (ph)  ______
     Passerina ciris