Between 1985 and 2020, 340 species of bird were recorded at Galileo Hill, a private ranch with an area of just under half a square mile, located on the high desert of Kern County, several hours north of Los Angeles. A postage stamp of greenery in an otherwise parched desert, Galileo was an important staging grounds for birds during their fall and spring migrations and host to a limited number of breeding and wintering species. Before its closure in 2020, birders flocked to this location to observe these migrations and, if lucky enough, find a species previously unrecorded in the park. The following bird list is arranged according to taxonomy recognized by the American Ornithological Society.

 

Three species reported with convincing details do not appear here: Chimney Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, and Alder Flycatcher. As certain features were not noted in the field, these species are treated as hypothetical.

ANATIDAE

Snow Goose

Ross's Goose

G. White-fronted Goose

Cackling Goose

Canada Goose

Tundra Swan

Wood Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall

Eurasian Wigeon

American Wigeon

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Surf Scoter

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

ODONTOPHORIDAE

California Quail

Gambel's Quail (I)

PHASIANIDAE

Ring-necked Pheasant (I)

Chukar (I)

PODICIPEDIDAE

Pied-billed Grebe

Eared Grebe

Western Grebe

Clark's Grebe

COLUMBIDAE

Rock Pigeon (I)

Band-tailed Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-Dove (I)

Common Ground-Dove

Ruddy Ground-Dove

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove

CUCULIDAE

Groove-billed Ani

Greater Roadrunner

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

CAPRIMULGIDAE

Lesser Nighthawk

Common Nighthawk

Common Poorwill

APODIDAE

Black Swift

Vaux's Swift

White-throated Swift

TROCHILIDAE

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird

Costa's Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

RALLIDAE

Virginia Rail

Sora

Common Gallinule

American Coot

GRUIDAE

Sandhill Crane

RECURVIROSTRIDAE

Black-necked Stilt

American Avocet

CHARADRIIDAE

Killdeer

Semipalmated Plover

SCOLOPACIDAE

Upland Sandpiper

Long-billed Curlew

Baird's Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Short-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher

Wilson’s Snipe

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs

Willet

Greater Yellowlegs

Wilson's Phalarope

Red-necked Phalarope

Red Phalarope

LARIDAE

Sabine’s Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Ring-billed Gull

California Gull

Herring Gull

Least Tern

Caspian Tern

Black Tern

Common Tern

Forster's Tern

PHALACROCORACIDAE

Double-crested Cormorant

PELECANIDAE

American White Pelican

ARDEIDAE

Least Bittern

American Bittern

Snowy Egret

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Green Heron

Great Egret

Western Cattle-Egret

Great Blue Heron

THRESKIORNITHIDAE

White-faced Ibis

CATHARTIDAE

Turkey Vulture

PANDIONIDAE

Osprey

ACCIPITRIDAE

White-tailed Kite

Golden Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Northern Goshawk

Bald Eagle

Common Black-Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Zone-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk

TYTONIDAE

American Barn Owl

STRIGIDAE

Flammulated Owl

Western Screech-Owl

Great Horned Owl

Burrowing Owl

Long-eared Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

ALCEDINIDAE

Belted Kingfisher

PICIDAE

Lewis's Woodpecker

Acorn Woodpecker

Williamson's Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-naped Sapsucker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

FALCONIDAE

American Kestrel

Merlin

Peregrine Falcon

Prairie Falcon

TYRANNIDAE

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

Tropical/Couch's Kingbird

Cassin's Kingbird

Western Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Western Wood-Pewee

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Hammond's Flycatcher

Gray Flycatcher

Dusky Flycatcher

Western Flycatcher

Buff-breasted Flycatcher

Black Phoebe

Eastern Phoebe

Say's Phoebe

Vermilion Flycatcher

VIREONIDAE

White-eyed Vireo

Bell’s Vireo

Hutton's Vireo

Yellow-throated Vireo

Cassin's Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Plumbeous Vireo

Philadelphia Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Yellow-green Vireo

LANIIDAE

Loggerhead Shrike

Northern Shrike

CORVIDAE

Pinyon Jay

California Scrub-Jay

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay

Clark's Nutcracker

American Crow

Common Raven

REMIZIDAE

Verdin

PARIDAE

Mountain Chickadee

Oak Titmouse

ALAUDIDAE

Horned Lark

HIRUNDINIDAE

Bank Swallow

Tree Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Cliff Swallow

AEGITHALIDAE

Bushtit

PHYLLOSCOPIDAE

Arctic/Kamchatka Leaf Warbler

REGULIDAE

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet

BOMBYCILLIDAE

Cedar Waxwing

PTILIOGONATIDAE

Phainopepla

SITTIDAE

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Pygmy Nuthatch

CERTHIIDAE

Brown Creeper

POLIOPTILIDAE

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

TROGLODYTIDAE

Rock Wren

Bewick's Wren

Northern House Wren

Pacific Wren

Marsh Wren

MIMIDAE

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

LeConte's Thrasher

Sage Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

STURNIDAE

European Starling (I)

TURDIDAE

Western Bluebird

Mountain Bluebird

Townsend's Solitaire

Veery

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Wood Thrush

Eyebrowed Thrush

American Robin

Varied Thrush

PASSERIDAE

House Sparrow (I)

MOTACILLIDAE

Red-throated Pipit

American Pipit

Sprague’s Pipit

FRINGILLIDAE

Evening Grosbeak

Pine Grosbeak

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

House Finch

Purple Finch

Cassin's Finch

Red Crossbill

Pine Siskin

Lesser Goldfinch

Lawrence's Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

CALCARIIDAE

Lapland Longspur

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Smith's Longspur

PASSERELLIDAE

Grasshopper Sparrow

Black-throated Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Lark Bunting

Chipping Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

Black-chinned Sparrow

Brewer's Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Harris's Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Bell's Sparrow

Sagebrush Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Nelson's Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Green-tailed Towhee

Spotted Towhee

ICTERIIDAE

Yellow-breasted Chat

ICTERIDAE

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Bobolink

Western Meadowlark

Orchard Oriole

Hooded Oriole

Bullock's Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Scott’s Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Tricolored Blackbird

Bronzed Cowbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Rusty Blackbird

Brewer's Blackbird

Common Grackle

Great-tailed Grackle

PARULIDAE

Ovenbird

Worm-eating Warbler

Louisiana Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush

Golden-winged Warbler

Blue-winged Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Lucy's Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Virginia's Warbler

Connecticut Warbler

MacGillivray's Warbler

Mourning Warbler

Kentucky Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Hooded Warbler

American Redstart

Cape May Warbler

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Palm Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Townsend's Warbler

Hermit Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Canada Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Red-faced Warbler

Painted Redstart

CARDINALIDAE

Hepatic Tanager

Summer Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Western Tanager

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak

Lazuli Bunting

Indigo Bunting

Painted Bunting

Dickcissel