California's Special Birds - Page 3

My home state of California is famous for its variety of tourist attractions: from redwood country, San Francisco and Yosemite in the north to Hollywood, San Diego and the deserts in the south. But birders know that this diversity of environments means a diversity of birds can be found here; in fact, California has the highest bird list of any US state (650+ species). Two species, the Island Scrub-Jay of Santa Cruz Island and the Yellow-billed Magpie of the Central Valley (both in the crow family, incidentally), are found nowhere else in the world. This list contains most birds that could be considered California specialties; most nest here, but a few are regular visitors from elsewhere. In some cases (e.g., Red-shouldered Hawk, Pine Grosbeak) the state is home to a unique subspecies.