Site information
Below are listed all 145 Important Bird Areas in California. Click a site to download a pdf containing information and a map. Site descriptions are based on Important Bird Areas of California, published by Audubon California in 2004. Most site descriptions have been updated and some site names have changed since publication of the book.
- BY COUNTY
- Alameda
- Alameda Wildlife Refuge
- Byron Area
- Eastshore Wetlands
- Mount Hamilton Range
- San Francisco Bay - South
- Alpine
- Sierra Meadows - Northern
- Amador
- Sierra Meadows - Northern
- Butte
- Sacramento Valley Wetlands
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- Calaveras
- La Grange - Waterford Grasslands
- Salt Spring Valley
- Colusa
- East Park Reservoir
- Sacramento Valley Wetlands
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- Contra Costa
- Brooks Island
- Byron Area
- Concord Marshes
- Eastshore Wetlands
- North Richmond Wetlands
- Sacramento River - Upper
- Suisun Marsh
- Del Norte
- Del Norte Coast
- Fresno
- Mendota Wildlife Area
- Panoche Valley
- Sierra Meadows - Southern
- Glenn
- Sacramento Valley Wetlands
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- Humboldt
- Cape Mendocino Grasslands
- Humboldt Bay
- Humboldt Lagoons
- Trinidad Rocks
- Imperial
- Colorado Desert Microphyll Woodlands
- Elephant Tree Forest
- Imperial Valley
- Lower Colorado River Valley
- Salton Sea
- Inyo
- Argus Range - Southern
- Deep Springs Valley
- East Mojave Peaks
- Owens Lake
- Owens River
- Shoshone-Tecopa Area
- Kern
- Antelope Valley
- Buena Vista Lake Bed
- Carrizo Plain
- Edwards Air Force Base
- Goose Lake, Kern Co."
- Kelso Creek
- North Mojave Dry Lakes
- San Emigdio Mountains
- Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake Bed
- South Fork Kern River Valley
- Taft Hills
- Tehachapi Mountains
- Kings
- Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake Bed
- Lake
- Clear Lake
- Lassen
- Big Valley - Ash Creek
- Eagle Lake
- Fall River Valley Area
- Honey Lake Valley
- Lake Almanor Area
- Surprise Valley
- Los Angeles
- Antelope Valley
- Ballona Wetlands
- Channel Islands - Northern
- Edwards Air Force Base
- Los Angeles Flood Control Basins
- Lower Los Angeles River
- Orange Coast Wetlands
- Pier 400 Tern Colony
- Puente-Chino Hills
- San Clemente Island
- Santa Clara River Valley
- Madera
- Lone Willow Slough
- Mendota Wildlife Area
- Merced Grasslands
- Sierra Meadows - Southern
- Marin
- Bodega Harbor
- Bolinas Lagoon
- Corte Madera Marshes
- Point Reyes - Outer
- Richardson Bay
- San Pablo Bay Wetlands
- Tomales Bay
- Mariposa
- Merced Grasslands
- Mendocino
- Cape Mendocino Grasslands
- Mendocino Coast
- Merced
- Grasslands Ecological Area
- Merced Grasslands
- Panoche Valley
- Modoc
- Big Valley - Ash Creek
- Goose Lake, Modoc Co."
- Klamath Basin - Clear Lake
- Modoc National Wildlife Refuge
- Modoc Plateau
- Surprise Valley
- Mono
- Adobe Valley
- Bridgeport Valley
- Crowley Lake Area
- Mono Highlands
- Mono Lake Basin
- Owens River
- Mono
- Sierra Meadows - Northern
- Topaz Lake Area
- Monterey
- Big Sur
- Elkhorn Slough
- King City Grasslands
- Salinas River - Lower
- San Antonio Valley
- Santa Lucia Peaks
- Napa
- Napa Lakes
- San Pablo Bay Wetlands
- Nevada
- Sierra Meadows - Northern
- Orange
- Camp Pendleton
- Central Orange County Preserves
- Orange Coast Wetlands
- Puente-Chino Hills
- San Joaquin Hills
- Southern Orange County Preserves
- Placer
- Sierra Meadows - Northern
- Plumas
- Lake Almanor Area
- Sierra Valley
- Riverside
- Aguanga Area
- Bautista Creek
- Big Morongo Canyon
- Camp Pendleton
- Central Orange County Preserves
- Colorado Desert Microphyll Woodlands
- Lake Elsinore
- Lake Mathews - Estelle Mountain
- Lower Colorado River Valley
- Puente-Chino Hills
- Salton Sea
- San Jacinto Valley
- Santa Ana River Valley
- Skinner Reservoir Area
- Southern Orange County Preserves
- Sacramento
- Cosumnes River Watershed - Lower
- Sacramento River - Upper
- Stone Lakes Area
- San Benito
- King City Grasslands
- Panoche Valley
- Upper Pajaro River
- San Bernardino
- Baldwin Lake
- Big Morongo Canyon
- Cima Dome
- Colorado Desert Microphyll Woodlands
- East Mojave Peaks
- East Mojave Springs
- Edwards Air Force Base
- Lower Colorado River Valley
- Mojave River
- North Mojave Dry Lakes
- Puente-Chino Hills
- San Bernardino
- Santa Ana River - Upper
- Santa Ana River Valley
- San Diego
- Aguanga Area
- Anza-Borrego Riparian
- Camp Pendleton
- Elephant Tree Forest
- Mission Bay - San Diego River Estuary
- North San Diego Lagoons
- Pamo Valley
- San Diego Bay - South
- San Diego Montane Forests
- San Diego NWR Otay-Sweetwater Unit
- San Luis Rey River
- San Pasqual Valley - Lake Hodges
- Southern Orange County Preserves
- Tijuana River Reserve
- San Francisco
- Alameda Wildlife Refuge
- Farallon Islands
- San Joaquin
- Byron Area
- Cosumnes River Watershed - Lower
- La Grange - Waterford Grasslands
- Mount Hamilton Range
- Sacramento River - Upper
- San Joaquin River - Lower
- Stone Lakes Area
- San Luis Obispo
- Carrizo Plain
- Cuyama Valley
- Lopez Lake Area
- Morro Bay
- San Antonio Valley
- Santa Margarita Valley
- Santa Maria River Valley
- Taft Hills
- San Mateo
- AÒo Nuevo Area
- San Francisco Bay - South
- Santa Barbara
- Channel Islands - Northern
- Cuyama Valley
- Goleta Coast
- San Emigdio Mountains
- Santa Maria River Valley
- Santa Ynez River - Upper
- Santa Ynez River Valley
- Vandenberg Air Force Base
and Santa Ynez Estuary - Santa Clara
- Mount Hamilton Range
- San Francisco Bay - South
- Upper Pajaro River
- Santa Cruz
- AÒo Nuevo Area
- Shasta
- Fall River Valley Area
- Sierra
- Sierra Meadows - Northern
- Sierra Valley
- Siskiyou
- Butte Valley
- Klamath Basin - Clear Lake
- Siskiyou
- McCloud River - Upper
- Seiad Valley
- Shasta Valley
- Solano
- Benicia State Recreation Area
- Jepson Grasslands
- Napa Lakes
- Sacramento River - Upper
- San Pablo Bay Wetlands
- Suisun Marsh
- Sonoma
- Bodega Harbor
- San Pablo Bay Wetlands
- Stanislaus
- Grasslands Ecological Area
- La Grange - Waterford Grasslands
- Mount Hamilton Range
- San Joaquin River - Lower
- Sutter
- Feather River - Lower
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- Yolo Bypass Area
- Tehama
- Sacramento Valley Wetlands
- Tulare
- Lake Success Area
- Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake Bed
- Sierra Meadows - Southern
- Tuolumne
- La Grange - Waterford Grasslands
- Sierra Meadows - Southern
- Ventura
- Channel Islands - Northern
- Lake Casitas Area
- Point Mugu
- San Emigdio Mountains
- Santa Clara River Valley
- Santa Ynez River - Upper
- Yolo
- Napa Lakes
- Sacramento River - Upper
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- Yolo Bypass Area
- Yuba
- Feather River - Lower
BY NAME
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z- A [top]
- Adobe Valley
- Aguanga Area
- Alameda Wildlife Refuge
- Año Nuevo Area
- Antelope Valley
- Anza-Borrego Riparian
- Argus Range - Southern
- B [top]
- Baldwin Lake
- Ballona Wetlands
- Bautista Creek
- Benicia State Recreation Area
- Big Morongo Canyon
- Big Sur
- Big Valley - Ash Creek
- Bodega Harbor
- Bolinas Lagoon
- Bridgeport Valley
- Brooks Island
- Buena Vista Lake Bed
- Butte Valley
- Byron Area
- C [top]
- Camp Pendleton
- Cape Mendocino Grasslands
- Carrizo Plain
- Central Orange County Preserves
- Channel Islands - Northern
- Cima Dome
- Clear Lake
- Colorado Desert Microphyll Woodlands
- Concord Marshes
- Corte Madera Marshes
- Cosumnes River Watershed - Lower
- Crowley Lake Area
- Cuyama Valley
- D [top]
- Deep Springs Valley
- Del Norte Coast
- E [top]
- Eagle Lake
- East Mojave Peaks
- East Mojave Springs
- East Park Reservoir
- Eastshore Wetlands
- Edwards Air Force Base
- Elephant Tree Forest
- Elkhorn Slough
- F [top]
- Fall River Valley Area
- Farallon Islands
- Feather River - Lower
- G [top]
- Goleta Coast
- Goose Lake, Kern Co.
- Goose Lake, Modoc Co.
- Grasslands Ecological Area
- H [top]
- Honey Lake Valley
- Humboldt Bay
- Humboldt Lagoons
- I [top]
- Imperial Valley
- J [top]
- Jepson Grasslands
- K [top]
- Kelso Creek
- King City Grasslands
- Klamath Basin - Clear Lake
- L [top]
- La Grange - Waterford Grasslands
- Lake Almanor Area
- Lake Casitas Area
- Lake Elsinore
- Lake Mathews - Estelle Mountain
- Lake Success Area
- Lone Willow Slough
- Lopez Lake Area
- Los Angeles Flood Control Basins
- Lower Colorado River Valley
- Lower Los Angeles River
- M [top]
- McCloud River - Upper
- Mendocino Coast
- Mendota Wildlife Area
- Merced Grasslands
- Mission Bay - San Diego River Estuary
- Modoc National Wildlife Refuge
- Modoc Plateau
- Mojave River
- Mono Highlands
- Mono Lake Basin
- Morro Bay
- Mount Hamilton Range
- N [top]
- Napa Lakes
- North Mojave Dry Lakes
- North Richmond Wetlands
- North San Diego Lagoons
- O [top]
- Orange Coast Wetlands
- Owens Lake
- Owens River
- P [top]
- Pamo Valley
- Panoche Valley
- Pier 400 Tern Colony
- Point Mugu
- Point Reyes - Outer
- Puente-Chino Hills
- R [top]
- Richardson Bay
- S [top]
- Sacramento River - Upper
- Sacramento Valley Wetlands
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- Salinas River - Lower
- Salt Spring Valley
- Salton Sea
- San Antonio Valley
- San Clemente Island
- San Diego Bay - South
- San Diego Montane Forests
- San Diego NWR Otay-Sweetwater Unit
- San Emigdio Mountains
- San Francisco Bay - South
- San Jacinto Valley
- San Joaquin Hills
- San Joaquin River - Lower
- San Luis Rey River
- San Pablo Bay Wetlands
- San Pasqual Valley - Lake Hodges
- Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake Bed
- Santa Ana River - Upper
- Santa Ana River Valley
- Santa Clara River Valley
- Santa Lucia Peaks
- Santa Margarita Valley
- Santa Maria River Valley
- Santa Ynez River - Upper
- Santa Ynez River Valley
- Seiad Valley
- Shasta Valley
- Shoshone-Tecopa Area
- Sierra Meadows - Northern
- Sierra Meadows - Southern
- Sierra Valley
- Skinner Reservoir Area
- South Fork Kern River Valley
- Southern Orange County Preserves
- Stone Lakes Area
- Suisun Marsh
- Surprise Valley
- T [top]
- Taft Hills
- Tehachapi Mountains
- Tijuana River Reserve
- Tomales Bay
- Topaz Lake Area
- Trinidad Rocks
- U [top]
- Upper Pajaro River
- V [top]
- Vandenberg Air Force Base and Santa Ynez Estuary
- Y [top]
- Yolo Bypass Area
