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Learn the birds of California

72 birds in 13 short units, from your backyard to oak hills, chaparral, the Central Valley, Sierra Nevada and the coast. By sight, sound and story, with real photos and recordings.

Learn the birds of CaliforniaTry a question first
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A few you’ll meet first

The course

Each unit is a small group of birds, easiest first, with look-alikes kept apart. Meet them, learn them by sight, sound and story, then finish with a Field test. The units get harder as you go.

California Essentials

  1. Unit 1: Gentle startAnna’s Hummingbird, Black Phoebe, House Finch, California Scrub-Jay and Mallard
  2. Unit 2: Gentle startWhite-crowned Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Western Bluebird, Mourning Dove and Lesser Goldfinch
  3. Unit 3: Gentle startSnowy Egret, California Towhee, Canada Goose, Acorn Woodpecker and Great Horned Owl
  4. Unit 4: Building upGreat Egret, Dark-eyed Junco, Turkey Vulture, Northern Mockingbird and Red-shouldered Hawk
  5. Unit 5: Building upRed-tailed Hawk, Brown Pelican, American Crow, American Coot, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Wild Turkey
  6. Unit 6: Building upCooper’s Hawk, Western Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, California Quail and House Sparrow
  7. Unit 7: SteadySong Sparrow, Common Raven, Bushtit, Black-crowned Night Heron and American Robin

Beyond the Basics

  1. Unit 8: SteadySpotted Towhee, Steller’s Jay, Allen’s Hummingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelican and Brandt’s Cormorant
  2. Unit 9: SteadyGolden-crowned Sparrow, Brewer’s Blackbird, Say’s Phoebe, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Bewick’s Wren, American Wigeon and Willet
  3. Unit 10: SteadyOak Titmouse, Hooded Oriole, Ruddy Duck, Savannah Sparrow, European Starling, Northern Flicker and Least Sandpiper
  4. Unit 11: HardestNorthern Shoveler, Black-necked Stilt, Heermann’s Gull, Orange-crowned Warbler and Marbled Godwit
  5. Unit 12: HardestBufflehead, Killdeer, California Gull, American Kestrel, Osprey and Long-billed Curlew
  6. Unit 13: HardestGreat-tailed Grackle, Cassin’s Kingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Whimbrel
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