sbcobirding.com

Dedicated to the avifauna of Santa Barbara County

Species The Santa Barbara County Bird List contains over 500 bird species. This list is updated when new birds have been recorded in the county, when CA Bird Records Committee decisions or taxonomic updates are published. 

 Discussion Send and receive birding reports, read about rarities, and participate in general discussion through the sbcobirding email forum. Also check out the active Santa Barbara Birders Slack messaging app which includes the local RBA. 

 eBird eBird is a real-time, online checklist program that has revolutionized the way birders report and access information about birds. Participate in citizen science! Learn more about local birds by exploring the SBA county eBird page links. 

For everything birding in Santa Barbara County:

sbcobirding.com

October Big Day Results October Big Day results are in! A total of 200 bird species were recorded in the county on 10 October, 2026. 102 local birders submitted 189 individual checklists during this global eBird event. Visit the results page to see the complete list of birds: 

News, Articles, & Events

Project FeederWatch Project FeederWatch turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries. FeederWatch is a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, community areas, and other locales in North America. Anyone interested in birds can participate. 

Birds of California’s Channel Is. Birds of California’s Channel Islands is the first comprehensive guide to the birds of this unique island archipelago, offering a data-rich, high- resolution picture of the history, status, and distribution of the Channel Islands’ avifauna. By Paul W. Collins, Justyn T. Stahl and H. Lee Jones 

A Birder’s Guide to

Santa Barbara County

Visit the Birder’s Guide for a listing of popular local birding spots. This guide aligns with the four districts in Paul Lehman’s, The Birds of Santa Barbara County, California, and includes descriptions and eBird Hotspot links. 

Santa Barbara County boasts a rich diversity of bird life and there are many places to explore. Where the Birds Are

eBird RBA The eBird Rare Bird Alert displays observations of rarities in Santa Barbara County over the past seven days. Reports include un-reviewed and validated sightings. 

Slack Group for SBA Birders You can participate in wide-ranging discussion and monitor the Rare Bird Alert for SBA County through Slack. Access the group through the desktop version or the Slack mobile app. 

The Birds of SBA County Paul Lehman’s August 2026 update to The Birds of Santa Barbara County is now available. First published in 1999, Paul’s treatise remains the most accurate source of county bird data. 

County Statistics

eBird

Hotspots

There are over 500 eBird Hotspots in the county. Explore all the data from these shared locations.

Total

Species

The Santa Barbara County Bird Checklist has eclipsed the 500 species milestone.

Big Day

Record

A dedicated trio logged a record setting 193 species in a single day on April 25, 2008.

400 Club

You can participate in this “non- competitive” listing game. Contact the webmaster to play.

511

563

193

County Birding Resources

Recent Rarities

Email sbcobirding@protonmail.com

Webmaster Jamie Chavez

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 sbcobirding This website was created as a resource for everything birding in Santa Barbara County. The goal is simply to promote the activity of field birding in the county and to provide information to interested birders. If you have comments about this website or would like more information about local birding, please contact me.

sbcobirding receives the generous support of the Santa Barbara Audubon Society. For more than 50 years SBAS has helped to preserve the biological diversity of the Santa Barbara area.