Last updated on April 30th, 2023 at 11:32 pm
California has many native birds and accounts for over half of the Pacific Flyway in the US that is used by innumerable migratory species. The state is home to and hosts numerous types of birds, including some with long beaks.
The birds in California that have long beaks include pelicans and cranes. Many other birds in California have long beaks, such as avocets, curlews, dowitchers, egrets, godwits, and herons. The hummingbirds in the state also have long beaks for their sizes.
Editor’s Note: We’ve also released an ID Guide featuring California birds with long tails.
1. American Avocet
The American avocet (Recurvirostra Americana) is a shorebird with a long, slender, and distinct upturned bill.
The species has a limited breeding range in California, with a year-round presence near the coast.
But a migrating population of these avocets traverses most parts of the state.
2. American White Pelican
The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a contender for the top three birds with the longest beaks in California.
The bill isn’t only long, but it is also massive. The bulky and colorful beak is befitting for a majestic species that breeds, migrates, and winters in the golden state.
3. Black Skimmer
The black skimmer (Rynchops niger) isn’t a common bird in California, but it has a few breeding and wintering havens in the state.
This species doesn’t just have a long beak. The bicolored bill is red and black, while the upper beak or maxilla is shorter than the lower jaw or mandible.
4. Black Oystercatcher
The black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) has a bright and long red bill.
The shorebird is only seen along the coast, but the stocky, dark bird with a black head, yellow eyes, and a red bill is unmistakable if you see it.
The species has a wintering and year-round presence in the state.
For further identification, see also our article on birds with red beaks in California.
5. Brown Pelican
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is the second contender for the top 3 birds with the longest beaks in California.
Like the American white pelican, this elegant and stocky bird has a giant beak. The species also has both a year-round and wintering presence along the coast.
6. Dunlin
The dunlin (Calidris Alpina) is no pelican, but its beak is quite long for its size. The drooping bill is a distinctive feature for a medium-sized bird with a short neck.
Dunlins forage in mudflats and shallow waters.
To see them, you’ll want to buy a nice pair of binoculars like the Celestron Outland X 8×42 Binoculars from Amazon.com.
Since Dunlins winter along the coast in California, so you need a fog-proof and waterproof bin like the nitrogen-purged Celestron Outland X.
The 8x magnification with a 42-millimeter objective lens will be handy to spot and track the dunlins when they migrate throughout inland California.
7. Egrets: Cattle, Great, and Snowy
All species of egrets have long bills, but the great egret (Ardea alba) has the most widespread year-round presence in California.
The cattle egret migrates through most of the state, and the snowy egret is a permanent resident in many parts. However, the reddish egret is rarely seen.
8. Greater Sandhill Crane
The greater sandhill crane (Antigone Canadensis) is another contender for the top 3 birds with the longest beak in California.
The species has a breeding, migrating, and wintering presence in the state, but the greater sandhill crane’s long beak is quite short in proportion to its large size.
9. Herons: Black-Crowned, Great Blue, and Green
Great blue herons (Ardea Herodias) have a gorgeous long beak, especially given that their size is smaller than the greater sandhill crane.
California is also home to the black-crowned night heron and green heron, but little blue, tricolored, and yellow-crowned night herons are rarely seen.
10. Hummingbirds: Allen’s and Anna’s
Hummingbirds have extraordinarily long beaks for their size.
Allen’s hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin) breed along the coast and migrate through the central and southern regions of California.
However, Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) is a perennial resident almost throughout the golden state.
11. Long-Billed Curlew
The long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) is a unique species with a beak as long as its backbone, if not longer.
The distinct long and curved bill is a remarkable feature of this bird. Unfortunately, the bird only winters along the coast of California and inland in the Bay Area.
12. Long-Billed Dowitcher
The long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) is another species with a phenomenally long beak for its robin-sized chunky body.
Its bill is more than twice as long as this bird’s head.
The species winters and migrates throughout California, but the short-billed dowitcher, which is a subspecies, isn’t that common in the state, albeit it has a long beak as well.
13. Marbled Godwit
The marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa) is a wintering bird in California with a long beak that is bicolored and slender, a tad upturned near the black tip.
This unique species has a beak that is nearly as long as its legs, which is spectacular since wading shorebirds have longer limbs.
14. Sandpipers: Least, Spotted, and Western
Sandpipers don’t have long beaks if you compare them with pelicans and cranes.
However, for a species that is a bit larger than a sparrow, the curved and drooping bill is quite long. California is home to the least, spotted, and western sandpipers.
However, the stilt sandpiper isn’t found here.
15. Terns: Caspian, Elegant, Forster’s, Least, and Royal
The terns found in California have long and strong beaks, which are red, orange, or yellow, depending on the species. The state is home to 5 different species of terns:
- California least tern
- Caspian tern
- Elegant tern
- Forster’s tern
- Royal Tern
16. Wandering Tattler
The wandering tattler (Tringa incana) has a long beak, given its size is smaller than a crow.
The species doesn’t breed in California, but it winters here along the coast.
This medium-sized shorebird isn’t too easy to spot or track from a distance, so use the Celestron binoculars if necessary.
17. Whimbrel
The whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) winters along the coast, and Southern California residents may find this species twice a year during their northward and southward migration.
The long and downward curved bill and striped head of whimbrels are easily distinguished from other birds.
18. White-Faced Ibis
The white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) is found everywhere in California, breeding or migrating wherever they want, but they are a permanent resident in other regions.
The curved bill is fascinatingly long for a crow-sized bird. The other ibises, such as the white and glossy ones, aren’t seen in California.
19. Willet
Unlike the curved bills of some of the other stocky shorebirds, the willet (Tringa semipalmata) has a straight, long beak.
The species breeds in the northern inland regions of California but mostly winters along the coast.
These birds are easy to spot if you are familiar with the mottling.
20. Wood Stork and American Flamingo (Rare)
The wood stork has a distinctly heavy and long beak, while the American flamingo has a unique bill that’s noticeably long, colorful, and curved.
However, both species are rare in California unless you find one in captivity or a solitary bird flies to the golden state to winter, perhaps mistakenly.