25 Winter Birds California (Out Birding)

Winter weather in California is mild, but colder as you get to the higher mountainous regions and northern California. This mild climate make for a great place for birds to spend their winter.

California is on the Pacific Flyway so it is a great place to watch the billions of birds that migrate through and over 650 species have been observed here in winter.

Many of these birds stop in California for winter, especially ducks and geese. Raptors are also great to spot in winter and many backyard birds too.

In your backyard be on the lookout for small songbirds like Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finch, Cedar Waxwings, Fox Sparrows, and White-crowned Sparrows that may visit feeders.

Get a photo ID guide for all the backyard birds that visit California throughout the year to help quickly identify birds you see.

25 Common Winter Birds California

1. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warblers are gray with flashes of yellow on the face, sides, and rump and white in the wings.

Females may be slightly brown, and winter birds are paler brown with bright yellow rumps and sides turning bright yellow and gray again in spring.

• Setophaga coronata
• Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
• Weight: 0.4-0.5 oz (12-13 g)
• Wingspan: 7.5-9.1 in (19-23 cm)

Yellow-rumped Warblers breed predominantly in Canada and parts of the Rockies and the Appalachian mountains.

During migration, they can be seen in the Midwest before overwintering in southern and southwestern US states and the Pacific Coast and into Mexico and Central America.

You can find Yellow-rumped Warblers in coniferous forests, especially during the breeding season. During winter, they can be found in open areas with fruiting shrubs. In summer, they eat mostly insects and on migration, and in winter, they eat mostly fruit, including bayberry and wax myrtle. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler Song:

Attract Yellow-rumped Warblers to your backyard with sunflower seeds, suet, raisins, and peanut butter.

2. Black Phoebe

Black Phoebes are small, plump flycatchers that are black on the back, head, and chest and white underneath. They can look gray in some light.

• Sayornis nigricans
• Length: 6.3 in (16 cm)
• Weight: 0.5-0.8 oz (15-22 g)

Black Phoebes are mostly resident across Southwestern States, Mexico, and Central America. Some in the north of this range may migrate south after breeding.

You can usually find Black Phoebes near water, such as coastal areas, rivers, lakes, or ponds. They perch above the ground and wait for insects or arthropods to come along, such as beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, flies, bees, and spiders.

Black Phoebes’ song:

Attract Black Phoebes to your yard by adding water features and native plants to attract insects. They may also build a nest under the eaves if there is a source of mud nearby to build their nest out of.

3. White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrows are large grayish sparrows with long tails, small bills, and bold black and white stripes on their heads.

• Zonotrichia leucophrys
• Length: 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm)
• Weight: 0.9-1.0 oz (25-28 g)
• Wingspan: 8.3-9.4 in (21-24 cm)

White-crowned Sparrows breed in Alaska and arctic Canada before heading south to the lower 48 and Mexico for winter. However, some may remain along the Pacific Coast and the mountainous west all year.

You can find White-crowned Sparrows in weedy fields, along roadsides, forest edges,  and in yards foraging for seeds of weeds and grasses or fruit such as elderberries and blackberries.

White-crowned Sparrow Song:

Attract White-crowned Sparrows to your backyard with sunflower seeds, and they will also eat seeds that other birds drop at feeders.

4. House Finch

House Finches males have a red head and breast, and the rest of their bodies are mainly brown-streaked. Females are brown-streaked all over. 

• Haemorhous mexicanus
• Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)
• Wingspan: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)

Originally only in western US states, House Finches were introduced to eastern US states and have done very well, even pushing out the Purple Finch.

They can be found in parks, farms, forest edges, and backyard feeders in noisy groups that are hard to miss.

House Finch Song:

House Finch Call:

Attract House Finches to backyard feeders with black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer seeds in tube feeders or platform feeders.

5. Anna’s Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbirds are tiny birds that are mostly green and gray. The male’s head and throat are iridescent reddish-pink, but the female’s throat is grayish with bits of red spotting.

• Calypte anna
• Length: 3.9 in (10 cm)
• Weight: 0.1-0.2 oz (3-6 g)
• Wingspan: 4.7 in (12 cm)

Unusually Anna’s Hummingbirds do not migrate, and they are the most common hummingbird along the Pacific Coast.

You can find Anna’s Hummingbirds near large colorful blossoms during the spring, and they readily visit hummingbird feeders that you can fill with homemade hummingbird nectar.

They make a dramatic dive display during courtship as the males climb up to 130 feet into the air before diving back to the ground with a burst of noise from their tail feathers.

Anna’s Hummingbird Call:

Attract Anna’s Hummingbirds to your backyard with nectar feeders and lots of colorful plants.

6. American Crow

American crows are large all-black birds that make a hoarse, cawing sound.

• Corvus brachyrhynchos
• Length: 15.8-20.9 in (40-53 cm)
• Weight: 11.2-21.9 oz (316-620 g)
• Wingspan: 33.5-39.4 in (85-100 cm)

American Crows are residents all year in most of the lower 48 and the Pacific Coast in Canada and Alaska. Those that breed in Canada and the northern Midwest migrate south for winter.

They are common birds found in most habitats, including treetops, woods, fields, beaches, or towns.

They eat most things and usually feed on the ground, eating earthworms, insects, seeds, and fruit. They also eat fish, young turtles, mussels, and clams and will even eat eggs and nestlings of many species of birds.

In winter, American Crows gather in large numbers of up to two million crows to sleep in noisy communal roosts.

American Crow Call:

Attract American Crows to your backyard by scattering peanuts, but they can become a nuisance as they are attracted by garbage or pet food if left out.

7. Red-tailed Hawk

As their name suggests, Red-tailed Hawks have a distinctive short, wide red tail. They are large, with broad, rounded wings. Most Red-tailed Hawks are brown on the back and pale underneath.

They are also the easiest to spot, often on long car journeys, as they circle slowly over open fields looking for prey such as small mammals, birds, and reptiles. You can also see them perched on telephone poles.

Male

• Length: 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm)
• Weight: 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g)
• Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)

Female

• Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
• Weight: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)
• Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)

Red-tailed Hawk Call:

The high-pitched descending raspy-screech sound of the Red-tailed Hawk is often used in movies for all birds of prey.

Red-tailed Hawks remain resident in the US and Mexico, but those birds in Alaska, Canada, and the northern Great Plains fly south for winter.

8. California Scrub-Jay

California Scrub-Jays are large songbirds with long tails, whitish undersides and rich blue and gray backs, and a bright blue breast band. They are larger than a robin but smaller than a crow. They look visually similar to the Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay but with more vivid colors.

• Aphelocoma californica
• Length: 11.0-11.8 in (28-30 cm)
• Weight: 2.5-3.5 oz (70-100 g)
• Wingspan: 15.3 in (39 cm)

California Scrub-Jays are resident all year on the Pacific Coast from British Columbia down to Baja California.

You can find California Scrub-Jay in scrub, oak woodlands, and in suburban yards and parks. They eat insects and fruit during spring and summer and then seeds and nuts, especially acorns, in fall and winter.

California Scrub-Jay sounds: Their call is high-pitched and repetitive. They also sing a courtship song of soft whistles.

Attract California Scrub-Jays to your backyard with sunflower seeds and peanuts in your feeders.

Fun fact: California Scrub-Jay will screech over the body of a dead jay and invite others to do the same, and this can last up to half an hour, according to the University of California – Davis

9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are small songbirds that are olive-green, and the males have a brilliant red crown that is usually flat, so hard to see.

• Corthylio calendula
• Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
• Weight: 0.2-0.3 oz (5-10 g)
• Wingspan: 6.3-7.1 in (16-18 cm)

Ruby-crowned Kinglets breed in Canada and the mountainous west before migrating to southern and southwestern US states and Mexico for the winter. 

Ruby-crowned Kinglets can be hard to spot as they are fast-moving quiet birds that flit around in the foliage of lower branches and shrubs and trees looking for spiders and insects.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Song:

Attract Ruby-crowned Kinglets with suet or platform feeders with hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, and mealworms.

10. Mourning Dove

Mourning Doves are graceful small-headed birds with plump bodies and long tails. They are a soft brown color with black spots on the wings. Males are slightly heavier than females.

• Zenaida macroura
• Length: 9.1-13.4 in (23-34 cm)
• Weight: 3.0 -6.0 oz (96-170 g)
• Wingspan: 17.7 in (45 cm)

Mourning Doves are common over all of the lower 48 all year but may migrate after breeding from the north of the Midwest and southern Canada.

Mourning Doves can be seen perching on telephone wires and foraging for seeds on the ground in grasslands, fields, and backyards. They can also be found in open areas or woodland edges.

Mourning Dove call:

Attract Mourning Doves to your backyard by scattering millet on the ground or platform feeders. They will also eat black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, and peanut hearts.

11. American Coot

American Coots are medium-sized waterbirds that may be mistaken for ducks when they’re in the water. But they’re not ducks since they don’t have a duck’s webbed feet.

Instead, their feet are lobed, which allows them to walk on land and swim expertly in water.  They are striking birds with their dark gray to black bodies, red eyes, their white frontal shield tipped with red, and white bills with a black ring around the tip.

Juvenile American Coots have light brown crowns and pale gray bodies. 

• Fulica americana
• Length: 15 in (38 cm)  
• Weight: 25.6 oz (726 g)
• Wingspan: 23 – 28 in (58 – 71 cm)

American Coots that breed in northern US states and Canada migrate to southern US states and Central America. Those in southern and western US states remain all year.

You can find American Coots in general wetlands like marshes, lake edges, sluggish rivers, and salt marshes. They also inhabit reservoirs, sewage treatment ponds, and roadside ditches. Breeding locations are usually bodies of water with heavy emergent aquatic vegetation along shorelines. 

As American Coots love being in the water, their food is usually sourced from diving, like algae and fish. They also eat aquatic plants like water lilies, and cattails in addition to land plants like leaves of trees or grains. They will also catch insects and eat snails, crustaceans, tadpoles, and salamanders. 

American Coot Call:

Fun Fact: American Coots display a variety of swimming formations. They may form single-file lines, synchronized swimming, broad arcing formations, and sequential take-off dynamics.

12. Mallard

Mallards are large ducks, and the males have striking green heads. They also have bright yellow bills and gray bodies with brown breasts and black towards the tail. They have a curl of tail feathers and a blue patch on the wings bordered with white which is called a speculum.

Females and juveniles are mottled brown with orange bills but still have the blue speculum.

• Anas platyrhynchos
• Length: 19.7 – 25.6 in (50 – 65 cm)
• Weight: 35.3 – 45.9 oz (1000 – 1300 g)
• Wingspan: 32.3 – 37.4 in (82 – 95 cm)

Mallards remain all year in most of the lower 48 and the western coast of Canada and Alaska. Those that breed in Canada and Alaska head south to the southern United States and northern Mexico.

Mallards are one of the most commonly spotted and recognizable ducks that will happily be fed on ponds and rivers. They are dabbling ducks that feed on water plants and do not dive. They are very long-lived, and they have been recorded at 27 years old.

Mallard Calls:

Male Mallards don’t quack, only females do. Instead, the male makes a rasping sound.

Fun Fact: Most domesticated ducks are descended from Mallards, and they have been hunted and bred for food.

13. Common Raven

Common Ravens are thought to be one of the smartest and definitely one of the largest species in the songbird family. They have shaggy throat feathers, large black beaks, and wedge-shaped tails.

• Corvus corax
• Length: 22.1-27.2 in (56-69 cm)
• Weight: 24.3-57.3 oz (689-1625 g)
• Wingspan: 45.7-46.5 in (116-118 cm)

Common Ravens are resident in Canada, western US states, northeastern US states, Mexico, and northern Central America. They are not found in the Great Plains or eastern US states.

You can find Common Ravens in most places, and they especially follow humans. Forests, beaches, fields, grasslands are all places to find them and rural human areas. They are not common in towns and cities as American Crows take over.

Not known as picky eaters, Common Ravens will eat most things, including any small animals, eggs and nestlings, plus insects and fish. Human rubbish and pet food

Common Raven sounds: Mostly croaks and harsh calls

Fun Fact: Common Ravens in Canada weigh up to 60% more than those in California.

14. California Towhee

California Towhees are large, brown, plump sparrows with long tails, short wings, and a rusty patch under their tails.

• Melozone crissalis
• Length: 8.3-9.8 in (21-25 cm)
• Weight: 1.3-2.4 oz (37-67 g)
• Wingspan: 11.4 in (29 cm)

California Towhees are only found in the coastal chaparral scrub areas of California, Oregon, and Baja California. They will also visit backyards, sit on fenceposts, and chase their reflections in car mirrors or windows.

California Towhees’ diets are mostly seeds from grasses and herbs, but they also eat berries such as elderberry, coffeeberry, and acorns.

Attract Califonia Towhees to your yard with millet on-ground feeders and plant native berry plants.

15. Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Juncos are sparrows that are different colors depending on the state. They are generally slate-colored in the east and black, white, and brown in the west.

• Junco hyemalis
• Length: 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz (18-30 g)
• Wingspan: 7.1-9.8 in (18-25 cm)

Dark-eyed Juncos remain resident all year in northeastern and western US states and the Appalachian Mountains. Those that breed in Canada and Alaska migrate south in winter to the United States.

They can be found in open and partially wooded areas, often on the ground, and are common across the continent. 

Dark-eyed Junco Song:

Attract Dark-eyed Juncos to backyard feeders with a variety of seeds such as black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. Platform feeders or scattered on the ground are best.

16. Song Sparrow

Song sparrows are not as remarkable looking as other backyard birds, but these predominantly brown-streaked birds use their almost constant song to attract mates in spring and summer.

• Melospiza melodia
• Length: 4.7-6.7 in (12-17 cm)
• Weight: 0.4-1.9 oz (12-53 g)
• Wingspan: 7.1-9.4 in (18-24 cm)

Song Sparrows live all year in the northern US states. Those that breed in Canada migrate to southern US states for winter.

They can be found in open, shrubby, and wet areas, often perched on a low shrub singing. They are often found at backyard feeders.

Song Sparrows eat a wide variety of insects and plants, including beetles, caterpillars, midges, spiders, and earthworms. They will also eat buckwheat, sunflower, raspberries, wild cherries, blackberries, wheat, and rice.

Song Sparrow Song:

Song Sparrow Call:

Attract Song Sparrows to your backyard feeders by putting black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and nyjer on platform feeders.

17. Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vultures are aptly named. They do look like turkeys with their big, bald, red heads and upper necks and brownish-black bodies. However, they are larger than turkeys, and when they’re in flight, their broad wings are slightly raised and make a “V”.  

Under their wings, they have gray coloring, making it seem like they’re two-toned. Their eyes are dark brown, and their bills are light-colored.

There are a total of 6 subspecies of Turkey Vultures, and three of them are in North America, which is why they are sometimes classified as “Northern” Turkey Vultures. There are only minor differences among them, mainly tail and wing proportions and color in the underwing feathers. 

• Cathartes aura
• Length:  26 – 32 in (66 – 81 cm)
• Weight: 51.2 oz (1451 g)
• Wingspan: 68 – 72 in (173 – 183 cm)

You can find Turkey Vultures in a wide range of habitats, but the most common is open and semi-open areas next to woodlands. They need open areas, like grasslands, shrublands, deserts, and wetlands for foraging. They also need forests with high trees for nesting and roosting, and they need middle to high elevations, like hills and mountainous areas, to give them a height advantage for taking flight. 

Sometimes, they will also venture into farmlands or pasturelands for foraging and roosting. Human-made structures are also taken over by them when they’re in urban areas, but only if they can’t find their preferred habitats. 

Turkey Vultures’ main source of food is carrion or recently dead or decaying animals as long as it hasn’t decayed too much. They may feed on roadkill and washed-up fish and may even kill small or weak animals. 

Turkey Vultures calls: They can only make a raspy hissing sound, but are usually silent.

Fun Facts: The sense of smell of Turkey Vultures is quite strong and they’re able to detect odors of decaying or dead animals on the ground from great distances.  

When Turkey Vultures are threatened or aggravated, they will vomit to provide a distraction and fly away. They may even pretend to be dead. 

18. European Starling

European Starlings are not native but are now one of the most numerous songbirds. They are stocky black birds with iridescent purple, green, and blue tones. 

• Sturnus vulgaris
• Length: 7.9-9.1 in (20-23 cm)
• Weight: 2.1-3.4 oz (60-96 g)
• Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)

European Starlings live in all of North America, except the north of Canada and Alaska.

They are considered a pest by some due to their aggressive behavior. These birds fly in large, noisy flocks and can be seen perched in groups on the top of trees or flying over fields.

European Starling Calls:

Starlings predominantly eat insects, including beetles, flies and caterpillars, earthworms, and spiders. However, they also eat fruit, including cherries, holly berries, mulberries, Virginia Creeper, sumac, blackberries, and grains and seeds.

Attract European Starlings to your backyard feeders with black oil sunflower seeds, suet, cracked corn, and peanuts.

19. Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinches are tiny bright yellow and black songbirds with long pointed wings and short notched tails. Females have olive backs and are more dull yellow underneath.

• Spinus psaltria
• Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
• Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8-11.5 g)
• Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 in (15-20 cm)

Lesser Goldfinches live in the southwestern US states and the West Coast all year, but those that breed in the interior of western US states migrate for winter.

Lesser Goldfinches can be found in large flocks in open habitats, including thickets, weedy fields, forest clearings, parks, and gardens. They forage for seeds, especially sunflower seeds, but also fruits from elderberry, coffeeberry, and buds from cottonwoods, willows, sycamores, and alders.

Lesser Goldfinch call/Song:

Attract Lesser Goldfinches to your yard with sunflower seeds and nyjer in tube feeders or platform feeders.

20. Northern Flicker

Northern Flickers are large brown woodpeckers with black spots and a white patch on their rump in flight, plus a red nape of the neck in the males. 

Northern Flickers have red or yellow flashes in the wings and tail depending on where they originate. Red-shafted birds live in the west, and yellow-shafted birds live in the east.

• Colaptes auratus
• Length: 11.0-12.2 in (28-31 cm)
• Weight: 3.9-5.6 oz (110-160 g)
• Wingspan: 16.5-20.1 in (42-51 cm)

Northern Flickers can be spotted across the US all year and in Canada during summer. Those that breed in Canada migrate south for the winter.

Northern Flickers mainly eat ants, beetles, fruits, and seeds, and they can often be seen on the ground digging with their curved bill.

Northern flicker Call:

Attract Northern Flickers to your backyard with suet.

21. Golden-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrows are grayish-brown underneath and streaked brown on the back. Their heads have a black crown and a bright-yellow forehead.

The colors are duller and brown on the crown in winter, and the yellow forehead is also duller.

• Zonotrichia atricapilla
• Length: 5.9-7.1 in (15-18 cm)
• Weight: 1.1-1.2 oz (30-33 g)

Golden-crowned Sparrows breed in Alaska and western Canada before migrating to the West Coast for winter. 

You can find Golden-crowned Sparrow in weedy fields scratching for seeds such as dock, sumac, and geranium. They also eat fruit such as apples, grapes, elderberry, and olives. Insects also make up some of their diets, such as ants, beetles, butterflies, and termites.

Golden-crowned Sparrows sounds: Their song is a sad, slow series of whistles that decrease in pitch.

Attract Golden-crowned Sparrows to your backyard with seeds on ground feeders or plant native plants that fruit.

Fun fact: The gold crown of Golden-crowned Sparrows shows how dominant they are, with larger crowns showing more dominance. This helps to reduce fights amongst males.

22. Double-crested Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorants are large waterbirds that are usually spotted drying themselves with wings outstretched. They are named for the dual crests on their heads which appear during the breeding season. In northwestern birds, these crests are white, but otherwise, they’re black.

Double-crested Cormorants have glossy, black bodies and distinctive yellow-orange skin around the base of the bill and chin. They have black legs and webbed feet. Males and females appear similar.

Juveniles are either grayish or brownish with their underparts paler in color. Their bills are hooked and orange or yellowish, and their upperparts may have a scaled or mottled pattern. 

• Nannopterum auritum (formerly Phalacrocorax auritus)
• Length:  32 in (81 cm)
• Weight: 64 oz (1814 g)
• Wingspan: 52 in (132 cm)

Double-crested Cormorants only live in North America. Those that breed inland and the northeast coast migrate to the Pacific coast and southern and southeastern states for winter. However, some remain all year in Florida, Mexico, and the Pacific Northwest coast.

You can find Double-crested Cormorants in aquatic and coastal areas, preferably with an ample supply of fish, like lakes, rivers, swamps, and coasts. They may roost and breed on smaller lagoons and ponds.

Their habitat will have perching areas for drying off where they gather in groups, wings outstretched drying their wings as they are not waterproof. 

The diet of Double-crested Cormorants is mainly made up of fish but they can also feed on insects, crustaceans, or amphibians. With their webbed feet, they can dive and chase fish underwater and their hooked bills give them an advantage in catching their prey.

Double-crested Cormorant calls:

Fun Fact: Double-crested Cormorants spend much of their day resting on an exposed perch with their wings spread out. They may be drying their feathers off after diving and fishing. 

23. American Robin

American Robins are a common sight on lawns eating earthworms. They have black heads and backs with red or orange breasts. They tend to roost in trees in winter, so you are more likely to see them in your backyard from spring.

• Turdus migratorius
• Length: 7.9-11.0 in (20-28 cm)
• Weight: 2.7-3.0 oz (77-85 g)
• Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)

American Robins are residents in the lower 48 and the coast of Western Canada and Alaska. Those that breed in Canada and inland Alaska move south for the winter.

American Robins can be found in many habitats, from woodlands, forests, and mountains to fields, parks, and lawns. They eat earthworms, insects, snails, and fruit.

American Robin Song:

American Robin Call:

Attract American Robins to your backyard with sunflower seeds, suet and peanut hearts, fruit, and mealworms. Platform feeders are best or food scattered on the ground. Also, try planting some native plants that produce berries, such as juniper, sumac, hawthorn, and dogwood.

24. Bushtit

Bushtits are tiny, almost round, soft gray birds with long tails and stubby bills. They have slight brown tinges to the face and underneath.

• Psaltriparus minimus
• Length: 2.8-3.1 in (7-8 cm)
• Weight: 0.1-0.2 oz (4-6 g)

Bushtits live all year in the western US states.

You can find Bushtits in open woodland or scrubby areas, parks, and backyards. Their diet includes insects and spiders, such as caterpillars, beetles, wasps, and ants.

Bushtits make unique hanging nests out of plant material and spider webs that hang down about a foot and may take a month to build.

Bushtits call:

Attract bushtits to your yard by planting native shrubs and trees, and they may visit feeders filled with black oil sunflower seeds, suet, or mealworms from platform feeders.

25. Great Egret

Great Egrets are at their best during the breeding season when males have neon green facial skin and long, wispy feathers (aigrettes) extending from their backs to their tails, which they show off during courtship, like how a peacock flares out its tail.  

They are large, all-white herons, which is why they’re often called Great White Herons. They are also called common egrets. These large birds are white, with dagger-like, long, bright yellow bills and long, black legs and feet.

Non-breeding males, females, and juveniles look alike. 

• Ardea alba
• Length: 37 – 41 in (94 – 104cm)
• Weight: 59.96 oz (1699 g)
• Wingspan: 54 – 55 in (137 – 140 cm)

Great Egrets have a vast range around the world. Those in the southern and coastal US states remain all year, but those more inland and in Canada migrate south.

You can find Great Egrets in freshwater and saltwater marshes and tidal flats, but also fish ponds.

The diet of Great Egrets consists mainly of fish, frogs, small mammals, crustaceans, and insects. You will see Great Egrets standing motionless on the water, waiting and scouting their prey, and then they strike and spear it with their long bills. 

Great Egret Calls:

Fun Fact: The Great Egret was almost hunted to extinction because of their long white feathers (aigrettes) that were mainly used to decorate ladies’ hats. 

Winter vs Summer Birds California

There are some birds that stay all year in California but many migrate in or out in the spring and fall. These lists give you the most common birds recorded in checklists by bird watchers in summer or winter on ebird.