List of birds of Santa Cruz County, California


List of birds of Santa Cruz County, California. The county is in Northern California, located on the California coast, including northern Monterey Bay, and west of the San Francisco Bay and Silicon Valley. It includes the southwestern Santa Cruz Mountains.
Avian habitats include: coastal prairie, Northern coastal scrub, Maritime Ponderosa Pine forests, Coast redwood forests, Interior chaparral and woodlands, and mixed evergreen forests.
Included are: common, fairly common, and uncommon sightings/occurrences. Not included are: rare, casual, and irregular sightings.
SpeciesSpringSummerFallWinter
Red-throated loonC-CF
Pacific loonC-CC
Common loonC-CF
Pied-billed grebeCFCC
Horned grebe---U
Eared grebe---U
Western grebeCFCC
Clark's grebeFFUF
American white pelican-UFU
Brown pelicanFCCF
Brandt's cormorantCCCC
Double-crested cormorantFUCC
Pelagic cormorantFFFF
American bittern--UU
Great blue heronFFFF
Great egretU-FF
Snowy egretU-FF
Cattle egret---U
Green heronUUUU
Black-crowned night heronUUFF
Turkey vultureFFU-
Canada gooseU-UU
BrantC-U-
Wood duckUUFF
GadwallFUFF
American wigeon--UC
MallardCCCC
Blue-winged teal--UU
Cinnamon tealCUUF
Northern shovelerU-UF
Northern pintailU-UF
Green-winged tealU-FC
CanvasbackU-FC
Ring-necked duckU-UC
Greater scaupR-RU
Lesser scaupU-UF
Surf scoterCUCC
White-winged scoterU-UU
Bufflehead--UC
Common goldeneye--UF
Hooded merganser--UF
Common merganserUUUU
Red-breasted merganserF-UF
Ruddy duckFUFC
OspreyU-U-
White-tailed kiteUUFF
Northern harrier--UU
Sharp-shinned hawkFUFF
Cooper's hawkFUFF
Red-shouldered hawkUUFF
Red-tailed hawkCFCC
Ferruginous hawk---U
Golden eagleUUUU
American kestrelUUFF
Merlin--UU
Peregrine falconU-UU
Wild turkeyUUUU
California quailCCCC
Virginia railUUFF
SoraU-FF
Common gallinule---U
American cootCFCC
Black-bellied ploverC-CC
Snowy ploverUUUF
Semipalmated ploverF-F-
KilldeerUUFC
Black oystercatcherUUUU
Black-necked stiltU-FF
American avocet--UU
Greater yellowlegsF-FU
Lesser yellowlegs--U-
WilletCUCC
Wandering tattlerU-U-
Spotted sandpiperU-UU
WhimbrelF-FU
Long-billed curlewU-U-
Marbled godwitCUCC
Ruddy turnstoneF-FF
Black turnstoneC-CC
SurfbirdF-FF
SanderlingC-CC
Western sandpiperC-F-
Least sandpiperC-FU
DunlinC-FU
Short-billed dowitcherF-F-
Long-billed dowitcherF-FU
Wilson's snipe--UF
Wilson's phalaropeU---
Red-necked phalaropeC-C-
Red phalaropeC-CF
Pomarine jaegerF-F-
Parasitic jaegerU-F-
Bonaparte's gullC-CU
Heermann's gullUCCC
Mew gullU-FC
Ring-billed gullU-FC
California gullCUCC
Herring gullU-UF
Thayer's gull--UU
Western gullCCCC
Glaucous-winged gullF-CC
Sabine's gullU-U-
Black-legged kittiwakeU-UF
Caspian ternFF--
Elegant tern-CC-
Common ternF-F-
Arctic ternF-F-
Forster's ternCFUF
Common murreCCCC
Pigeon guillemotCC--
Marbled murreletFFUU
Xantus's murrelet--U-
Ancient murreletU-UF
Cassin's aukletFFCC
Rhinoceros aukletFUFC

SpeciesSpringSummerFallWinter
Rock doveCCCC
Band-tailed pigeonCCCC
Mourning doveCCCC
Barn owlUUUU
Western screech-owlCCCC
Great horned owlFFFF
Northern pygmy-owlUUUU
Northern saw-whet owlCCCC
Vaux's swiftFUU-
White-throated swiftUUUU
Anna's hummingbirdCCCC
Allen's hummingbirdCF--
Belted kingfisherUUUU
Acorn woodpeckerCCCC
Red-breasted sapsucker--UU
Nuttall's woodpeckerUUUU
Downy woodpeckerFFFF
Hairy woodpeckerFFFF
Northern flickerCCCC
Pileated woodpeckerUUUU
Olive-sided flycatcherUU--
Western wood-peweeFF--
Pacific-slope flycatcherCCC-
Black phoebeFFFF
Say's phoebe--UU
Ash-throated flycatcherFF--
Western kingbirdU---
Loggerhead shrikeUUUU
Cassin's vireoFF--
Hutton's vireoFFFF
Warbling vireoCCF-
Steller's jayCCCC
California scrub jayCCCC
American crowFFFF
Common ravenFFFF
Horned lark--U-
Tree swallowCCFU
Violet-green swallowCCFU
Northern rough-winged swallowUU--
Cliff swallowCCU-
Barn swallowCCU-
Chestnut-backed chickadeeCCCC
Oak titmouseUUUU
BushtitCCCC
Red-breasted nuthatchUUFF
Pygmy nuthatchFFFF
Brown creeperFFFF
Bewick's wrenCCCC
House wrenFFUU
Winter wrenFFFF
Marsh wrenFFFF
American dipperUUUU
Golden-crowned kingletFFFF
Ruby-crowned kingletU-CC
Blue-gray gnatcatcherFFUU
Western bluebirdUUUU
Swainson's thrushCCF-
Hermit thrushCCCC
American robinCCCC
Varied thrush--FF
WrentitCCCC
Northern mockingbirdCCCC
California thrasherFFFF
European starlingCCCC
American pipitU-FC
Cedar waxwingC-CC
Orange-crowned warblerCCFU
Yellow warblerFFF-
Yellow-rumped warblerCFCC
Black-throated gray warblerFFU-
Townsend's warblerC-CC
Hermit warblerFUU-
Palm warbler--U-
MacGillivray's warblerU-U-
Common yellowthroatFFFF
Wilson's warblerCCC-
Western tanagerFFF-
Spotted towheeCCCC
California towheeCCCC
Chipping sparrowUU--
Lark sparrowUUUU
Savannah sparrowUUFF
Grasshopper sparrowFF--
Fox sparrowU-FF
Song sparrowCCCC
Lincoln's sparrowU-FC
Swamp sparrow--UU
White-throated sparrow--UU
White-crowned sparrowCFCC
Golden-crowned sparrowC-CC
Dark-eyed juncoCCCC
Black-headed grosbeakCCF-
Lazuli buntingFF--
Red-winged blackbirdCCCC
Tricolored blackbirdFFCC
Western meadowlarkFFCC
Brewer's blackbirdCCCC
Brown-headed cowbirdCCFF
Hooded orioleFF--
Bullock's orioleFF--
Purple finchFFFF
House finchCCCC
Red crossbillFFCC
Pine siskinFFCC
Lesser goldfinchFFFF
Lawrence's goldfinchFF--
American goldfinchFFCC
Evening grosbeak--FF
House sparrowCCCC