SoCal Birding Guides - Colorado River
While most SoCal birders go to the Colorado River for birds more common in other states such as Northern Cardinal and Barrow's Goldeneye, this is one of the few places to find some of our specialties, including Crissal Thrasher and some Mexican strays. Due partly to the heat and and partly to the best time for the goldeneyes, we tend to go during January and February.
Area Specialties
- Western Grebe
- Clark's Grebe
- American White Pelican
- Surf Scoter
- White-tailed Kite
- Harris's Hawk
- Ferruginous Hawk
- Prairie Falcon
- Gambel's Quail
- California Quail
- Clapper Rail
- Mountain Plover
- Black-necked Stilt
- American Avocet
- Whimbrel
- Long-billed Curlew
- Ruff
- Wilson's Phalarope
- Laughing Gull
- Heerman's Gull
- California Gull
- Thayer's Gull
- Gull-billed Tern
- Elegant Tern
- Least Tern
- Band-tailed Pigeon
- White-winged Dove
- Common Ground-Dove
- Ruddy Ground-Dove
- Greater Roadrunner
- Elf Owl
- Burrowing Owl
- Lesser Nighthawk
- Black-chinned Hummingbird
- Anna's Hummingbird
- Costa's Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Allen's Hummingbird
- Lewis's Woodpecker
- Red-naped Sapsucker
- Red-breasted Sapsucker
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker
- Gilded Flicker
- Willow Flycatcher
- Dusky Flycatcher
- Hammond's Flycatcher
- Gray Flycatcher
- Pacific-slope Flycatcher
- Black Phoebe
- Say's Phoebe
- Vermilion Flycatcher
- Ash-throated Flycatcher
- Cassin's Kingbird
- Western Kingbird
- Verdin
- Bushtit
- Cactus Wren
- Rock Wren
- Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
- Western Bluebird
- Mountain Bluebird
- Sage Thrasher
- Bendire's Thrasher
- California Thrasher
- Crissal Thrasher
- Phainopepla
- Gray Vireo
- Virginia's Warbler
- Lucy's Warbler
- Black-throated Gray Warbler
- Townsend's Warbler
- MacGillivray's Warbler
- Green-tailed Towhee
- California Towhee
- Abert's Towhee
- Brewer's Sparrow
- Black-throated Sparrow
- Sage Sparrow
- Golden-crowned Sparrow
- Tricolored Blackbird
- Hooded Oriole
- Scott's Oriole
- Lesser Goldfinch