California Native Birds

You can attract California birds by providing water, food, nesting sites and foraging habitats by way of utilizing California native plants. Find out what specific plant or plants a bird uses.

Click on the bird's name to learn more about its habitat, the California native plants it uses, and to see pictures!

This page is an ongoing process. We hope to have all these ugly grey boxes filled in as soon as possible! Also, if there is no link on a bird it means we have not written the page yet.

Babblers (Timaliidae)

Wrentit,
Chamaea fasciata

Blackbirds (Icteridae)

Western Meadowlark,
Sturnella neglecta

Red-winged Blackbird,
Agelaius phoeniceus

Tricolored Blackbird,
Agelaius tricolor

Brown-Headed Cowbird,
Molothrus ater

Bullock's Oriole,
Icterus bullockii

Brewer's Blackbird,
Euphagus cyanocephalus

Hooded Oriole,
Icterus cucullatus

Cardinals (Family Cardinalidae)

Black-headed Grosbeak,
Pheucticus melanocephalus

Blue Grosbeak,
Guiraca caerulea

Lazuli Bunting,
Passerina amoena

Bushtits (Family Aegithalidae)

Bushtit,
Psaltriparus minimus

Chickadees and Titmice (Family Paridae)

Oak Titmouse,
Baeolophus inornatus

Mountain Chickadee,
Poecile gambeli

Chestnut-backed Chickadee,
Poecile rufescens

Creepers (Family Certhiidae)

Brown Creeper,
Certhia americana

Finches (Family Fringillidae)

American Goldfinch,
Carduelis tristis

House Finch
Carpodacus mexicanus

Red Crossbill,
Loxia leucoptera

Purple Finch,
Carpodacus purpureus

Lawrence's Goldfinch,
Carduelis lawrencei

Lesser Goldfinch,
Carduelis psaltria

Pine Siskin,
Carduelis pinus

Tyrant Flycatchers (Family Tyrannidae)

Olive-sided Flycatcher,
Contopus cooperi

Western Wood-Pewee,
Contopus sordidulus

Hammond's Flycatcher,
Empidonax hammondii

Pacific-slope Flycatcher,
Empidonax difficilis

Dusky Flycatcher,
Empidonax oberholseri

Ash-throated Flycatcher,
Myiarchus cinerascens

Western Kingbird,
Tyrannus verticalis

Cassin's Kingbird,
Tyrannus vociferans

Black Phoebe,
Sayornis nigricans

Say's Phoebe
Sayornis saya

Hummingbirds (Family Trochilidae)

Anna's Hummingbird,
Calypte anna

Allen's Hummingbird,
Selasphorus sasin

Black-chinned Hummingbird,
Archilochus alexandri

Costa's Hummingbird,
Calypte costae

Rufous Hummingbird
Selasphorus rufus

Crows, Jays, and Magpies (Family Corvidae)

Steller's Jay,
Cyanocitta stelleri

Western Scrub-Jay,
Aphelocoma californica

Yellow-billed Magpie,
Pica nuttalli

American Crow,
Corvus Caurinus

Common Raven,
Corvus corax

King Fishers (Family Alcedinidae)

Belted Kingfisher,
Ceryle alcyon

Kinglets (Family Regulidae)

Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Regulus satrapa

Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Regulus calendula

Larks (Family Alaudidae)

Horned Lark,
Eremophila alpestris

Mocking birds and Thrashers (Family Mimidae)

Northern Mockingbird,
Mimus polyglottos

California Thrasher,
Toxostoma Curvirostre

Nuthatches (Family Sittidae)

White-breasted Nuthatch,
Sitta carolinensis

Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Sitta canadensis

Pigeons and Doves (Family Columbidae)

Band-tailed Pigeon,
Columba fasciata

Rock Dove,
Columba livia

Mourning Dove,
Zenaida macroura

Quail, New World (Family Odontophoridae)

California Quail,
Callipepla californica

Mountain Quail,
Oreortyx pictus

Shrikes (Family Laniidae)

Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus

Silky-flycatchers (Family Ptilogonatidae)

Phainopepla,
Phainopepla nitens

Sparrows and Towhees (Family Emberizidae)

California Towhee,
Pipilo crissalis

Chipping Sparrow,
Spizella passerina

Spotted Towhee,
Pipilo maculatus

Lark Sparrow,
Chondestes grammacus

Fox Sparrow,
Passerella iliaca stephensi

Sage Sparrow,
Amphispiza belli

Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Aimophila ruficeps

Savanna Sparrow,
Passerculus sandwichensis

Song Sparrow,
Melospiza melodia

Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis

White crowned Sparrow,
Zonotrichia leucophrys

Golden Crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla

Swallows (Family Hirundinidae)

Tree Swallow,
Tachycineta cyaneoviridis

Violet-green Swallow,
Tachycineta thalassina

Purple Martin,
Progne subis

Cliff Swallow,
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Barn Swallow,
Hirundo rustica

Tanagers (Family Thraupidae)

Western Tanager,
Piranga ludoviciana

Thrushes (Family Turdidae)

Western Bluebird,
Sialia mexicana

Swainson's Thrush,
Catharus ustulatus

Hermit Thrush,
Catharus guttatus

American Robin,
Turdus migratorius

Vireos (Family Vireonidae)

Bell's Vireo
Vireo bellii

Hutton's Vireo,
Vireo huttoni,

Cassin's Vireo,
Vireo cassinii

Warbling Vireo,
Vireo gilvus

Waxwings (Family Bombycillidae)

Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum

Wood-Warblers (Family Parulidae)

Orange-crowned Warbler,
Vermivora celata

Nashville Warbler,
Vermivora ruficapilla

Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Dendroica coronata

Black-throated Gray Warbler,
Dendroica nigrescens

Townsend's Warbler,
Dendroica townsendi

Hermit Warbler,
Dendroica occidentalis

Yellow Warbler,
Dendroica petechia

MacGillivray's Warbler,
Oporornis tolmiei

Wilson's Warbler,
Wilsonia canadensis

Common Yellowthroat,
Geothlypis trichas

Yellow-breasted Chat,
Icteria virens

Woodpeckers and Sapsuckers (Family Picidae)

Ladder-backed Woodpecker,
Picoides scalaris

Nuttall's Woodpecker
Picoides nuttallii

Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens

Hairy Woodpecker,
Picoides villosus

Lewis' Woodpecker,
Melanerpes lewis

Acorn Woodpecker,
Melanerpes formicivorus

Red-naped Sapsucker,
Sphyrapicus nuchalis

Red-breasted Sapsucker,
Sphyrapicus ruber

Northern Flicker,
Colaptes auratus

Wrens (Family Troglodytidae)

House Wren,
Troglodytes aedon

Winter Wren,
Troglodytes troglodytes

Bewick's Wren
Thryomanes bewickii

Canyon Wren,
Catherpes mexicanus

Marsh Wren,
Cistothorus palustris

Rock Wren,
Salpinctes obsoletus