United States Ramsar wetland
San Francisco Bay
238 bird species recorded; the most from January to March and in October.
Brocken Inaglory · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
182 species in January.171 species in February.178 species in March.164 species in April.150 species in May.125 species in June.125 species in July.140 species in August.160 species in September.173 species in October.171 species in November.166 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
NT
VU
NTVUNT
NT
VU
NTVU
VUNTVUNTVU
VU
NT
NTVU
NTVUNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
238 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 238Speciesrecorded more than once
- 119Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 6ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 74,998Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 14Raptors
- 3Owls
- 34Waders
- 22Gulls & seabirds
- 37Ducks & geese
- 17Herons, ibises & grebes
- 87Songbirds
- 24Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 238 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Burrowing OwlAthene cunicularia
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Waders34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- Black TurnstoneArenaria melanocephala
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Black OystercatcherHaematopus bachmani
- SurfbirdCalidris virgata
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Wandering (Alaskan) TattlerTringa incana
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
Gulls & seabirds22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- California GullLarus californicus
- Larus occidentalisLarus occidentalis
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Short-billed GullLarus brachyrhynchus
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegansNT
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Pacific LoonGavia pacifica
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Vega GullLarus vegae
- Cepphus columbaCepphus columba
Ducks & geese37 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera
- Barrow's GoldeneyeBucephala islandica
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- RedheadAythya americana
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Swan GooseAnser cygnoides
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
Herons, ibises & grebes17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Clark's GrebeAechmophorus clarkii
- Western GrebeAechmophorus occidentalis
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Pelagic CormorantPhalacrocorax pelagicus
- Brandt's CormorantUrile penicillatus
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
Songbirds87 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Black phoebeSayornis nigricans
- California TowheeMelozone crissalis
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Golden-crowned SparrowZonotrichia atricapilla
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- American BushtitPsaltriparus minimus
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Western BluebirdSialia mexicana
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalusNT
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Chestnut-backed ChickadeePoecile rufescens
- California Scrub JayAphelocoma californica
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Sturnella neglectaSturnella neglecta
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Say's phoebeSayornis saya
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Bewick's WrenThryomanes bewickii
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Townsend's WarblerSetophaga townsendi
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Hooded OrioleIcterus cucullatus
- Vireo huttoniVireo huttoni
- Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Empidonax difficilisEmpidonax difficilis
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Pipilo maculatusPipilo maculatus
- Tricoloured BlackbirdAgelaius tricolor
- Violet-green SwallowTachycineta thalassina
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Western Wood-PeweeContopus sordidulus
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Black-headed GrosbeakPheucticus melanocephalus
- Oak TitmouseBaeolophus inornatus
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Bullock's OrioleIcterus bullockii
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Pygmy NuthatchSitta pygmaea
- Rock WrenSalpinctes obsoletus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Black-throated Grey WarblerSetophaga nigrescens
- Vireo cassiniiVireo cassinii
- Ash-throated FlycatcherMyiarchus cinerascens
- Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoides
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Varied ThrushIxoreus naevius
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Lazuli BuntingPasserina amoena
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
Other birds24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- American CootFulica americana
- Anna's HummingbirdCalypte anna
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Nuttall's WoodpeckerDryobates nuttallii
- Western RailRallus obsoletusNT
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Allen's HummingbirdSelasphorus sasin
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- White-throated swiftAeronautes saxatalis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Red-breasted SapsuckerSphyrapicus ruber
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufusNT
- Band-tailed PigeonPatagioenas fasciata
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Vaux's SwiftChaetura vauxi
- Red-masked ParakeetAratinga erythrogenys
- Rallus longirostrisRallus longirostris
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from January to March and in October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan13°/8°88 mm
- Feb13°/9°88 mm
- Mar14°/9°74 mm
- Apr14°/10°38 mm
- May15°/10°17 mm
- Jun16°/12°6 mm
- Jul17°/13°2 mm
- Aug18°/13°2 mm
- Sep19°/13°4 mm
- Oct18°/12°26 mm
- Nov16°/10°55 mm
- Dec13°/9°115 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
San Francisco Bay.
Bay of the Pacific Ocean on the California coast of the United States
San Francisco Bay is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States.
238 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 74,998 open records.
The most recorded are the Ring-billed Gull, the American Crow and the California Gull.
47 species come for the summer, 70 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
6 are threatened worldwide, including Marbled Godwit, Grey Plover and Horned Grebe.
The most species are recorded from January to March and in October.
Get there and watch
- The Marina Inn on San Francisco Bayplace to stay · 6.4 km · 28 within 10 km
- San Lorenzonearest town · 9.4 km in a straight line
- Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 7 km in a straight lineCar hire at OAK airport (Oakland)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 28places to stay within 10 kmThe Marina Inn on San Francisco Bay, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Oakland-Airport, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Oakland Airport and 25 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around San Francisco Bay.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas54 mountains within 25 kmSan Bruno Mountain402 m · 18 kmMount Davidson283 m · 21 kmTwin Peaks282 m · 21 kmMontara Mountain579 m · 22 kmNob Hill113 m · 22 kmRound Top538 m · 22 kmTelegraph Hill91 m · 22 kmMount Sutro278 m · 22 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmLake Chabot0.8 km² · 14 km
Darkskyas2 dark-sky places within 30 kmChabot Space and Science CenterBortle 7 · 19 kmCalifornia Academy of SciencesBortle 8 · 24 km↗
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
San Francisco Bay
United States
- 79Birdyas Score
- 238Species
- 119Migrants
- 6Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q232264) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 74,998 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit