Raptor Nest Monitoring Project
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The Presidio of San Francisco has one of the most diverse bird populations
of any urban park in the world, with over 200 species having been spotted
here. This diversity is owing to a number of factors, including its
great variety of habitats that range from open water and protected bay,
to rocky and sandy shoreline, to tidal marshes, coastal scrub, grasslands,
mixed woodlands and ornamental areas. Since the Presidio lies on a major
bird migratory route along the west coast, it also hosts a variety of
transient birds that stop over to rest and feed on their journey to
and from places as far away as South America and the Canadian arctic.
This combination of factors makes the Presidio a birders paradise with
different species to see throughout the year.
The bird diversity at the Presidio has changed over the years. When the Europeans arrived in the 1770s, the area was largely dune scrub with few trees. The planting of the Presidio's forest in the 1880s and 90s allowed the establishment of a much greater variety of forest dwelling birds. During the same period, the marshes along the bay were filled, both at the Presidio and throughout the Bay Area, leading to a decline in shorebirds and waterfowl. With the recent recreation of the tidal lagoon and marsh at Crissy Field those birds are now coming back to the Presidio. Egrets, Herons, Kingfishers and many other water birds are becoming commonplace once again.
The birds listed below are amongst the most common species found at the Presidio. These are the ones that you will likely see on a visit.
Identify
a bird you may have seen or to test your identification skills
by
viewing thumbnail photos at
the green links below
Water-loving
birds
Forest
birds
Birds
that like scrub and developed areas
Or
select a common name below to learn more about that species
| Water Habitats | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Family |
| Red-throated Loon | Gavia stellata | Loon |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis | Grebe |
| Brant's Cormorant | Phalacrocorax penicillatus | Cormorant |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus | Cormorant |
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | Pelecan |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | Heron |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | Heron |
| Great Egret | Casmerodius albus | Heron |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | Heron |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis | Duck |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | Duck |
| Greater Scaup | Aythya marila | Duck |
| Surf Scoter | Melanitta perspicillata | Duck |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | Rail |
| Snowy Plover (rare) | Charadrius alexandrinus | Plover |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | Plover |
| Willet | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus | Sandpiper |
| Marbled Godwit | Limosa fedoa | Sandpiper |
| Long-billed Curlew | Numenius americanus | Sandpiper |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | Sandpiper |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus griseus | Sandpiper |
| Black Turnstone | Arenaria melanocephala | Sandpiper |
| Surfbird | Aphriza virgata | Sandpiper |
| Sanderling | Calidris alba | Sandpiper |
| Elegant Tern | Sterna elegans | Gull |
| Forster's Tern | Sterna forsteri | Gull |
| Heermann's Gull | Larus heermanni | Gull |
| California Gull | Larus californicus | Gull |
| Western Gull | Larus occidentalis | Gull |
| Mew Gull | Larus canus | Gull |
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis | Gull |
| Belted Kingfisher | Cerle alcyon | Kingfisher |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | Blackbird |
| Forest Habitats | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Family |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | Hawk |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | Hawk |
| American Kestrel | Falco spaverius | Falcon |
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | Owl |
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus | Finch |
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | Creeper |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee | Parus rufescens | Chickadee |
| Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus | Bushtit |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | Swallow |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Swallow |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | Sitta pymaea | Nuthatch |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | Kinglet |
| Hutton's Vireo | Vireo huttoni | Verio |
| Townsend's Warbler | Dendroica townsendi | Warbler |
| Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens | Woodpecker |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | Woodpecker |
| Scrub Jay | Aphelocoma coerulescens | Crow |
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | Crow |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax | Crow |
| Cathartes aura | Vulture | |
| Scrub & developed areas | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Family |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | Dove |
| Rock Dove | Columba livia | Dove |
| California Quail | Callipepla californica | Quail |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | Thrush |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius | Thrush |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | Mockingbird |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | Blackbird |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | Blackbird |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | Blackbird |
| Hooded Oriole | Icterus cucullatus | Blackbird |
| House Finch | Carpodacus mexicanus | Finch |
| American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis | Finch |
| Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria | Finch |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys | Sparrow |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia atricapilla | Sparrow |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia | Sparrow |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Sparrow |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis | Sparrow |
| California Towhee | Pipilo crissalis | Sparrow |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata | Warbler |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata | Warbler |
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | Warbler |
| Anna's Hummingbird | Calypte anna | Hummingbird |
| Allen's Hummingbird | Selasphorus sasin | Hummingbird |
| European Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | Starling |
| Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | Flycatcher |
Send comments to: Will Elder