The last seven days on iNaturalist, checked against five years
Rare Birds in California This Week
California logged 2,563,635 confirmed bird sightings across 754 species on iNaturalist in five years, and 93 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings. The live list near Los Angeles covers 25 miles around the city. The California Bird Records Committee reviews rare bird records here.
Near Los Angeles
Rare birds near Los Angeles this week
Every bird posted within 25 miles of Los Angeles in the last seven days, with the ones that are rare there, out of season or uncommon first and the reason for each.
Reading this week's bird sightings within 25 miles of Los Angeles from iNaturalist.
Somewhere else in California? Enter your ZIP for the circle around it.
California birds on the record
iNaturalist, research grade
2,563,635
Confirmed bird sightings
research grade iNaturalist records, five years
754
Bird species on record
seen and confirmed in California
93
Species seen 3 times or fewer
12 percent of the state list, the birds that make news
25 mi
Live circle
around Los Angeles, or any ZIP you enter
Counted from iNaturalist’s research grade bird records in California from October 9, 2021 to October 1, 2026, read October 9, 2026.
Across California
The whole state this week
Every bird reported anywhere in California in the last seven days, checked against the state’s own five year record: Rare here means 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the whole state.
Reading this week's bird sightings across California from iNaturalist.
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What turns up here
Who confirms a rare bird in California
754 bird species have confirmed iNaturalist records in California over five years, and 93 of them were confirmed 3 times or fewer. A sighting of one of those is the kind a state records committee reviews before it joins the official list. The California Bird Records Committee names one bird on its own page, below.
California Bird Records Committee
The committee reviews rare bird records in California.
“Report only species which are on the CBRC review list or which are new to California.”
The committee’s news of 08 September 2026 adds Chihuahuan Meadowlark to the state’s main and review lists.
“Added Chihuahuan Meadowlark Sturnella lilianae to the main and review lists”
Chihuahuan Meadowlark
Birders and photographers setting up on an overlook. Word of an unusual bird travels this way: one person posts a photograph, and the people nearby go and look. “Birdwatchers stop to set up equipment at overlook”, Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
California rare bird questions
The lists above, read live from iNaturalist: first the birds within 25 miles of Los Angeles, then the whole state. Each species is checked against five years of confirmed sightings, and the most unusual come first.
754 bird species in 2,563,635 confirmed iNaturalist sightings between 2021-10-09 and 2026-10-01. 93 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the state, so a new one of them is news.
Near Los Angeles or your own ZIP, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings within 25 miles in five years, or one that is seen there but almost never in these weeks of the year. On the statewide list, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings anywhere in California.
The California Bird Records Committee. From its page: “Report only species which are on the CBRC review list or which are new to California.”
The committee’s news of 08 September 2026 adds Chihuahuan Meadowlark to the state’s main and review lists.
Enter your ZIP on the rare bird alert for a list around your own spot, and check it each week in spring and fall migration, when most strays turn up. Each bird links to its iNaturalist species page with photographs and a range map.
Yes, for this week only, because confirmation takes days and a rare bird may be gone by then. The five year record the week is checked against counts research grade sightings only.
Sightings and records from iNaturalist, read live for this week. The lists are built from counts per species, and each bird links to its species page. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the rare bird alert.
