Native Birds
identifying birds
Soaring above you, singing from tree canopies, and hopping underneath chaparral shrubs, are hundreds of species of native, residential non-native, and migratory bird species. This page will introduce you to some of the most commonly seen (or heard) birds of our area.
There are several keys to bird identification. To identify a bird, consider size, shape, vocalizations, and plumage. Bill shape can also be a useful identifying characteristic. Birds such as sparrows and finches have triangular bills for seed crushing, raptors have sharp powerful bills meant for tearing apart prey, and hummingbirds have long thin bills to probe flowers for nectar.
We strongly encourage reporting your bird sightings by creating an account on eBird.org. eBird is a community science platform that uses community observations to provide bird distribution and abundance data to scientists, researchers, and birders.
For more information on these birds and the significance of birds in Tongva culture, read our Native Bird Guide.
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Tongva name: Piinor
Medium sized hummingbird with a short, straight bill. Males have dark heads and crowns that appear bright pink at the right angle. Females and immatures have some pinkish red around their throat. All ages and sexes have green backs and tails with green and gray on the belly and breast. Listen for incredibly scratchy “stree stree stree” song.
Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) Tongva name: Piinor
Smaller than the Anna’s, males have reddish orange throats and vibrant coppery tails, faces, and sides of their belly / breast. Females can show reddish orange in the throat but lack complete gorgets; less extensive coppery tones, but do show orangish sides and partially orange tails. All sexes have green backs. Anna’s Hummingbird can be ruled out by the presence of orange.
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Tongva name: ‘Aawkot
Large black corvid. Easily confused with the similar Common Raven. The American crow is smaller overall with a noticeably smaller bill in proportion to the head. Crows usually show fan-shaped tail in flight and cannot soar. Voice is higher pitched with a more nasally quality than raven, resulting in the well known “caw caw caw” call.
Common Raven (Corvus corax) Tongva name: ‘Aalwot
Huge black corvid, the largest songbird in the world. Easily confused with the similar American crow. The common raven is larger overall with a seemingly oversized bill in proportion to the head. Throat feathers long and shaggy. Ravens usually show wedge-shaped tail in flight and can soar. Voice a lower gravelly croaking “grrraw grrraw grrraw” and can produce a rapid knocking noise.
California Quail (Callipepla californica) Tongva name: Kakaar
Rotund, terrestrial birds not easily confused with many species, aside from their steep slope-preferring cousin: mountain quail. Males can be distinguished from a mountain quail by their dark brown crowns, curly head plumes, and scaled breasts. Females can also be differentiated by their scaled appearance. Listen for nasal “wow” sounds or repeated “chi-ca-go.”
Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata) Tongva name: We’aangar
Large, dark gray pigeon. In flight, wings are a darker sooty gray toward the wingtips. Adults have greenish feathers below white collars on the back of their neck. Immature birds have no collar or greenish hue on neck. All ages have yellow bills and feet. The bill color and white collar rule out other pigeon and dove species. Listen for cooing noises or low owl like “coo-woo” song.
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Tongva name: Makaaho’
Medium sized bird that is smaller and slimmer than Band-tailed pigeon. Brownish with black spots on wings and a long tail that comes to a point. Listen for namesake mourning songs: “wooOOO ooo ooo ooo.” Occupies trees and can be seen on wires, but also often found walking on the ground. When flushed their wings make a recognizable whistling noise.
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) Tongva name: Pakiishar
Medium sized hawk with longer tail than red-tailed or red-shouldered hawk. Females larger than males. Adults of both sexes have gray crowns and backs with paler gray on the hindneck. Breast and belly white, but covered in orangish bars. Immatures are brownish above and white below with brownish streaks on breast and body. Told apart from the very similar Sharp-shinned hawk by size, blockier head, wing shape, leg thickness, and curved tail tips. Listen for repetitive “kek” notes. Often seen perched or making a quick flight, but can be seen soaring.
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Tongva name: Kwaa’ar
Large raptor with broad wings and a short, broad tail. Various color morphs make identification difficult, but the most common light morphs show white on belly and breast with a streaked brown band across the belly. Namesake red tail is present on almost all adult color morphs. Immature light morphs lack red tails but show belly bands. Often seen soaring. Produces long harsh screech which has famously been used to portray bald eagles in films.
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) Tongva name: Weeshenat
Medium sized raptor with broad wings and a medium length tail. Unique translucent crescent near wingtips can be seen when soaring. Adults have red-orange plumage and black-and-white flight feathers. Immature hard to separate from other immature hawks. Note striped chin to separate from red-tailed hawk and short tail to separate from Cooper’s hawk.
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) Tongva name: Kiimar
An unmistakeable medium sized bird exhibiting what’s often described as a clown face. Face appears black and whitish with a red crown. Black across the back and wrapping into the breast. Black streaks on otherwise white belly. In flight notice bold white wing patches. Calls sound like “acka-acka-acka”.
Nuttall’s Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii) Tongva name: Shoolam
Small black and white woodpecker. Males have red on crown and back of neck while females do not. Both sexes show spotting on their sides and black and white barring on their backs as well as black and white striped faces. Visually similar to Downy and hairy woodpeckers, but those species lack barring on their back. Listen for fast, sharp, often repeated squeaks and rattles.
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) Tongva name: Choot
Besides hummingbirds, one of the smallest birds in North America. Almost always encountered in groups. Grayish above and brown below with long tail and thick, stubby bill. Males and females separated by eye color, a feature that gives them starkly different appearances. Males have dark eyes and appear very cute. Females have pale eyes and, though cute in their own way, appear beady and angry. Regularly heard before seen. Listen for twinkly, thin, high pitched calls.
Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) Tongva name: Che’ee’ey cheyuu’
Small spunky brown songbird. Long tail held at an angle, relatively long decurved bill, and obvious white eyebrow help to separate from other small brown songbirds. However, this bird is more often heard than seen. These birds have complex pleasing songs made up of buzzes, whistles, and trills. Also has many call notes, most notable is the angry harsh buzz that exemplifies their feisty nature.
California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) Tongva name: Chaay’e
Striking blue and gray corvid. Upperparts vibrant blue except for gray mantle and white eyebrow. Underparts mostly gray except for large white throat patch. Long tail. Very vocal, often giving loud scratchy “yeeenk yeeenk” calls. Contrasting blue plumage, raucous behavior, and loud grating vocalizations mark it as the most obvious jay in its range.
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivium) Tongva name: Tamaar
Medium-sized plain brown songbird. Long
decurved bill and a long raised tail create a unique
and obvious silhouette. Common but often
overlooked as it prefers to hide deep in brush and
scrub. More often heard than seen. Listen for long complex songs initially reminiscent
of mockingbirds. Various buzzes, trills, and whistles
are mixed in with mimicked sounds of other birds
but not as predictably as in mockingbirds. Calls are
subtle bouncy “bip” or “biwip.
California Towhee (Melozone crissalis) Tongva name: Tosiiha’ cheyuu’
Large for a sparrow, but otherwise a medium-sized songbird. Grayish brown above and below. Typical conical sparrow bill. Rusty orange tones across face and under the tail help distinguish this species. Their call, a high pitched “tik,” is commonly heard throughout California. Some describe it as sounding like a smoke detector beep. Their song is an accelerating series of “tik” notes.
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) Tongva name: ‘Ochoocheve cheyuu’
Rather common plump bird found often in suburban areas. Characteristics depend geographically. In Los Angeles, has a distinct black hood with a pale-pink bill. The nape is a rusty brown and the the breast is a more dilute shade. Juveniles present a more ornate sparrow plumage. Conspicuous in nature, this bird can often be seen foraging on the ground in the open in residential areas. Listen for a short and drawn out high pitch trill.
Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) Tongva name: Poohyo’ot
Unmistakeable large cuckoo usually seen running on the ground. Light brown below with beautiful dark streaks throughout breast. Dark wings and back with light streaking throughout. Long tail and legs. Sometimes shows crested appearance. Some show gorgeous blue and red behind eye while others show a more pale blue. Listen for mournful “coo coo coo cooo cooo” or unusual bill rattles.
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) Tongva name: ‘A’eesen ‘apwaan cheyuu’
Very small yellow finch, the smallest finch in North America. Females are uniform olive-yellow with faint white patches on wings. Males have brighter yellows and more distinct white wing patches. Males have olive-green backs west of the Rockies and completely black backs in eastern populations and south through Mexico. Typical calls are either thin high-pitched whistles or rough chattering. Song is a long rapid-fire series of calls including mimicry of other bird species.
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Tongva name: Tamaawot
Common and conspicuous bird seen often in residential areas. Medium-sized gray songbird with a slightly long decurved bill. Wings have darker border with two white wing bars which are very visible in flight. Juveniles are very similar to adults with buffier underparts. Seen often foraging on the ground or perching and constantly singing. Song is comprised of a variety of mimicked sounds, hence the name “mockingbird”. Each sound repeated 2-6 times before changing to another repeated sound. Some individuals can be heard singing through the night.
Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) Tongva name: Cheyuu
A rather small, compact drab bird ornamented with a small crest. This species is common in open oak forests as the name suggests, as well as in neighboring trees. Nearly identical to its close relative: the juniper titmouse. However, range only overlaps on the Modoc Plateau in Northern California. Voice is an easy distinguisher between the two. Listen for fast repeated whistles of “teeboo.” Calls include a rough scratch preceded by repeated high notes. Cheyuu means small bird as there is no direct translation for Oak Titmouse.
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) Tongva name: Yopii’i
Medium-sized bird with distinct dark hood, white breast plumage, and rusty flanks with a moderately long tail. Seen often foraging on the ground in dense shrub and thickets. Plumage varies with geographic region. Spotting on wings used to distinguish between similar Eastern Towhee, although there is no range overlap in the Southern California area. Song varies geographically, but in Southern California, listen for harsh buzzing trill. Call is a harsh cat like “reeeaaar”.
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) Tongva name: Xaayve cheyuu’
Superficially appears to be a larger, longer tailed bushtit. Grayish brown above and pinkish streaked brown below. Both sexes show a pale iris giving off the angry look also seen on female bushtit. Best differentiated from bushtit by size, tail length, and pinkish toned underparts. Usually solitary or in small groups unlike Bushtit, a species likely to be encountered in flocks. Listen for a highly distinctive song that resembles a marble being dropped or clattering, harsh calls.
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) Tongva name: Chahaachar
Small, but fairly large for a warbler. Young and nonbreeding birds encountered in fall are pale and often brownish with subtly streaked breasts, faint yellowish throats, and streaked backs. During late winter and spring, breeding males are striking with bright yellow throats, black breasts and slate gray upperparts. Breeding females resemble males but appear drabber and less black on their breast. Regardless of season or age, all birds show white eye arcs, white wing bars, yellow side patches, and namesake yellow rump. Listen for chip calls.
Other commonly seen birds
- Black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
- Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)
- Hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus)
- Pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
- Western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii)
- Western flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology LTI Grant Program
Mickey Long, Field Biology
Moore Lab of Zoology
Occidental College Center for Community Based Learning
Tina Calderon, Gabrielino-Tongva / Chumash / Yoeme / Chicana Culture Bearer
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Russell Campbell
Kathy Degner
Jodhan Fine
Tom Mills
Marky Mutchler
Owen Sinkus