Birds in California in July: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in California in July in our iNaturalist sample; 4 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in July

House Finch6,048 obs.

Western Gull5,957 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk5,901 obs.

Mallard5,285 obs.

Great Blue Heron5,047 obs.

Black Phoebe4,768 obs.

Snowy Egret4,654 obs.

Anna's Hummingbird4,645 obs.

Black-crowned Night Heron4,562 obs.

Cooper's Hawk4,523 obs.

Mourning Dove4,515 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco4,226 obs.

All birds seen in California in July

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	6,048	Apr (past peak)
2	Western Gull	Larus occidentalis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	5,957	Aug (rising)
3	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	5,901	Jan (past peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	5,285	Apr (past peak)
5	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	5,047	Jan (past peak)
6	Black Phoebe	Sayornis nigricans	Tyrant Flycatchers	4,768	Apr (past peak)
7	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	4,654	Jan (past peak)
8	Anna's Hummingbird	Calypte anna	Hummingbirds	4,645	Apr (past peak)
9	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	4,562	Apr (past peak)
10	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	4,523	Jul (peak)
11	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	4,515	Apr (past peak)
12	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	4,226	Apr (past peak)
13	California Scrub-Jay	Aphelocoma californica	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	4,222	Apr (past peak)
14	Lesser Goldfinch	Spinus psaltria	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	4,094	Apr (past peak)
15	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	4,058	Sep (rising)
16	California Towhee	Melozone crissalis	New World Sparrows	4,042	Apr (past peak)
17	Acorn Woodpecker	Melanerpes formicivorus	Woodpeckers	3,765	Apr (past peak)
18	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	3,687	Apr (past peak)
19	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	3,544	Jan (past peak)
20	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	3,467	Jan (past peak)
21	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	3,361	Jul (peak)
22	Western Bluebird	Sialia mexicana	Thrushes	3,338	Apr (past peak)
23	California Quail	Callipepla californica	New World Quails	2,985	Apr (past peak)
24	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	2,977	Apr (past peak)
25	Hooded Oriole	Icterus cucullatus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,962	Apr (past peak)
26	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,929	Apr (past peak)
27	Heermann's Gull	Larus heermanni	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	2,852	Aug (rising)
28	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	2,770	Apr (past peak)
29	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	2,645	Apr (past peak)
30	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	2,596	Apr (past peak)
31	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	2,581	Jan (past peak)
32	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	2,535	Apr (past peak)
33	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	2,501	Jul (peak)
34	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	2,471	Apr (past peak)
35	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	2,377	Apr (past peak)
36	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	2,294	Apr (past peak)
37	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	1,922	May (past peak)
38	Brewer's Blackbird	Euphagus cyanocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,900	Apr (past peak)
39	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	1,880	May (past peak)
40	Bushtit	Psaltriparus minimus	Long-tailed Tits and Bushtits	1,829	Apr (past peak)
41	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	1,801	Jan (past peak)
42	Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	1,784	Jul (peak)
43	Black-necked Stilt	Himantopus mexicanus	Stilts and Avocets	1,769	Jan (past peak)
44	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	1,766	Jan (past peak)
45	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	1,620	Jan (past peak)
46	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	1,538	Apr (past peak)
47	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,523	Aug (rising)
48	Long-billed Curlew	Numenius americanus	Sandpipers and Allies	1,504	Sep (rising)
49	Brandt's Cormorant	Urile penicillatus	Cormorants and Shags	1,446	Apr (past peak)
50	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	1,418	Jan (past peak)

Birds Seen in California in July

Top birds in July

All birds seen in California in July