
Grab a pair of binoculars — any old pair — and head out to the back yard or a nearby park. These birds are common in the San Fernando Valley. If you’re not yet a birder and want to see why so many people enjoy this pastime, start looking closer at the “easy” birds that are all around. Once you start to notice how different they are from one another and how many special marks, stripes, colors and quirks they display, you’ll begin to appreciate that birds are an easy and fun way to connect with wildlife that doesn’t involve paying for an African safari.
(FOUR-LETTER CODES ARE “ALPHA” CODES USED BY BIRDERS/ORNITHOLOGISTS FOR BREVITY’S SAKE).
NOTE THAT DURING NON-BREEDING SEASON, MANY OF THE MOST VISIBLE CHARACTERISTICS THAT DIFFERENTIATE MALE BIRDS OF SIMILAR SIZE/SHAPE CAN BE MUTED OR ABSENT.
Click or tap on all photos to enlarge!
House Sparrow (HOSP)
Length: 5.5″ to 6.5″ Weight: 1.4 oz
Male — David Barton Female — David Barton
House Finch (HOFI)
Length: 6″ Weight: 1 oz.
Female Non-breeding male Breeding Male
California Towhee (CALT)
Length: 9″ Weight: 2 oz
Randy Ehler Rose Liebowitz Jim Houghton
Jays (CASJ & STJA)
CASJ Length 11″ Weight 2.8 oz STJA Length 11.5″ Weight 4.5 oz
California Scrubjay – Randy Ehler California Scrubjay – Alex Viduetsky Steller’s Jay — Gary Park
Hummingbirds
Length 3.5″ to 4″ Weight 0.1 oz (!!)
Male Allen’s — Pat Bates Female Allen’s — Dave Barton Male Anna’s — Robert McMorran Female Anna’s — Matthew Feld Male Rufous — Scott Logan Female Rufous — Dave Barton Male Costa’s — Dick Daniels Male Black-Chinned — David Barton Female Black-Chinned — Scott Logan
Goldfinches
Length 4.5″ to 5″ Weight 0.3 – 0.5 oz
Male Lesser Goldfinch — David Barton Female Lesser Goldfinch — David Barton Male American Goldfinch Female American — David M. Gascogne Winter American Goldfinch Winter LEGOS on Nyjer feeder
Spotted Towhee (SPTO)
Length 7″ to 7.5″ Weight 1.4 oz
Spotted Towhee — David Barton Spotted Towhee — Randy Ehler Juvenile SPTO — Richard Medvitz
Wrens (HOWR, CANW and BEWR)
Length 4.5″ to 5.25″ Weight 0.4 to 0.5 oz
House Wren — Andy Witchget Canyon Wren — Pat Bates Bewick’s Wren — Dave Barton
(Northern) Mockingbird (NOMO)
Length 10″ Weight 2 oz
Pat Bates Pat Bates Randy Ehler
Bushtit (BUSH)
Length 4.5″ Weight 0.2 oz
Alex Viduetsky James Kenney Jhonell Centeno
Doves (MODO & EUCD)
Length 12″ Weight 4 oz to 6 oz
Mourning Dove – David Barton Mourning Doves – Gary Park Eurasian Collared-Dove — Gary Park
Pigeons (ROPI and BTPI)
ROPI Length: 12.5 in. Weight: 9 oz
BTPI Length: 15 in. Weight: 13 oz
Rock Pigeon — Randy Ehler Band-tailed Pigeon — David Barton
Song Sparrow (SOSP)
Length 6″ to 7.5″ Weight 0.7 oz
James Kenney David Barton Pat Bates
Black Phoebe (BLPH)
Length 6″ to 7″ Weight 0.7 oz
BLPH Randy Ehler Arnold Joe
American Robin (Redbreast) (AMRO)
Length 10″ Weight 1.7 oz
Randy Ehler Randy Ehler Alex Viduetsky
Woodpeckers
Length 7″ to 10.5″ Weight 1 oz to 2.5 oz
Male Nuttall’s Female NUWO — David Barton NUWO Pair — James Kenney Downy — Alex Viduetsky Hairy — David Barton Acorn — Ken Jenkins
Bluebirds (Western WEBL, Mountain MOBL)
Length 7″ to 7.75″ Weight 1 oz
Female WEBL — James Kenney Male WEBL — James Kenny Male MOBL — Anonymous
Oak Titmouse (OATI)
Length: 5.5 in. Weight: 0.55 oz.
Richard Medvitz Richard Medvitz Gary Park
Dark-eyed Junco
Length: 6.25 in. Weight: 0.67 oz.
Gary Park James Kenney Juvenile DEJU — David Barton
Is it a Raven (CORA)…or a Crow (AMCR)?
Raven Length: 24 in. Weight 42-44 oz.
Crow Length 17.5 in. Weight 16 oz.
Common Raven American Crow
Local Warblers (OCWA & COYE)
Orange-crowned Warbler Length 5 in. Weight 0.3 oz.
Common Yellow-throat Length 5 in. Weight 0.4 oz.
Male Common Yellowthroat — David Barton Female COYE — Wikimedia Femaile OCWA — Tom Murray Male Orange-crowned Warbler — Gary Park
Hawks
Cooper’s Hawk (COHA) Length: 14-21 in. Weight: 12-16 oz.
Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA) Length: 19-25 in. Weight: 35-38 oz.
Red-shouldered Hawk (RSHA) Length: 17-24 in. Weight: 17-22 oz.
Juvenile COHA — Davide Barton Adult COHA — Gary Park Red-tailed Hawk — Pat Bates RTHA — James Kenney RSHA — Alex Viduetsky RSHA — Gary Park COHA (Left) and RTHA (Right) — Gary Park
Occasional, Uncommon But Not Rare
There are plenty of birds who aren’t usually seen in urban yards or parks. On the other hand, they do appear from time to time. Sometimes it’s because they are particularly shy and only come out of hiding to look for a mate, or because there simply aren’t many of them in our area. Some migratory individuals, because our SoCal weather is so balmy, decide to stick around all year one year, or move in permanently. Either way such birds are here and they’re rewarding to see and identify. (Remember, you can click on these images to enlarge them.)
Hermit Thrush — Gary Park Yellow Warbler — Gary Park
California Thrasher — Gary Park Male California Quail — Gary Park Female Cal. Quail — Gary Park
Wrentit — Gary Park Northern Flickers — Gary Park
White-Breasted Nuthatch — Gary Park Lawrence’s Goldfinch — Gary Park Black-headed Grosbeak — Gary Park
Lazuli Bunting — Gary Park Western Tanager — David Barton Western Meadowlark — Rose Liebowitz
Seasonal Visitors to Southern California
Birds move around. Some migrate over hard-to-believe distances, others shift between close-together mountains and valleys. Either way, driven by seasons, by the availability of food or absence of predators for breeding, birds move around. This page is not concerned with migratory birds who are seen passing through on their way to somewhere else; these are birds that will show up in your backyard or in the park because they’re here for the winter, or here for the spring and summer.
Hooded and Bullock’s Orioles (HOOR & BUOR)
HOOR Length: 7-8 in. Weight 0.8 oz.
BUOR Length: 7.5-8.5 in. Weight 1.3 oz.
Male HOOR — David Barton Female HOOR — David Barton Male BUOR — Alex Viduetsky Female BUOR — Gary Park
Yellow-rumped Warbler (YRWA)
Length 5.5 in. Weight 0.5 oz
Myrtle YRWA — Allen D. Wilson Audubon’s YRWA — Gary Park Audubon’s YRWA — Gary Park
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Length: 4.25 in. Weight: 0.22 oz.
Pat Bates Gary Park David Barton
White-crowned Sparrow
Length: 7 in. Weight: 1 oz.
Juvenile WCSP — Mark Elliott James Kenney Davod Barton
If you see something you don’t recognize in your yard or a park don’t hesitate to email San Fernando Valley Audubon at BirdIdentify@sfvaudubon.org — we’ll do our best to tell you what you’ve seen! Please provide general location, and a photo is pretty essential!