California’s Important Bird Areas

Summer Tanager Summer Tanager at the South Fork Kern River IBA
by Alison Sheehey

With its dramatic coastlines, lush forests, blooming valleys, and vivid deserts, California’s spectacular natural landscapes host the largest, most diverse concentration of birds in the United States.

Scattered across this geography are 145 Important Bird Areas that provide more than 10 million acres of essential habitat for breeding, wintering, and migrating birds. We must protect these sites to ensure the survival of our state’s rich array of birds.

Audubon California has used the best science to identify and map these Important Bird Areas. Part of an international effort, these sites were nominated by local experts and selected according to strict criteria:

  • Support over 1% of the global or 10% of the state population of one or more sensitive species
  • Support more than nine sensitive bird species
  • 10,000 or more observable shorebirds in one day
  • 5,000 or more observable waterfowl in one day

This section of our website contains links to maps, site descriptions, and other information related to California’s Important Bird Areas. We encourage you to look around and learn more.