I grew up in Orange County but didn’t get into birding until after I moved to the Bay Area, so I always enjoy our visits back to SoCal. In the last several years I’ve witnessed new birds flocking to the area. Many of these species look quite exotic with brightly-colored bills, unique feather patterns, or long tails. They can be found in various parks and neighborhoods.

My sister and I began our birding adventures many years ago and we enjoy swapping stories, as she lives in Orange County and I in the Bay Area. I recall one day receiving a text from my sister when she was in LA. She sent a picture of a strange robin-sized bird with a dark back, white front, and very distinctive facial coloring. But what stood out the most was the sharply-pointed crest on its head. Not being well-versed in bird anatomy at the time, I searched for “bird with pointed feathers on head” on Google. After sifting through countless images, I found it: the red-whiskered bulbul. At the time we figured it was an escapee from a zoo. Little did I know that this Asian species was slowly establishing itself in LA.

One of the first non-native species I personally saw in Orange County was the scaly-breasted munia. Also known as the nutmeg mannikin, these tiny birds made their way over here from Asia. I was in SoCal this weekend and watched these little creatures dance in the grass and fly across the field with long sticks of wispy plants to another location presumably to build a nest.

Alongside the scaly-breasted munia were bronze mannikins. Similar in size to the munias, these little ones hail from Africa. These birds have a distinctively dark head, brown back, and bright white breast/underparts. Apparently both these birds are captured for the pet trade.

Other non-native species in Orange County include the Japanese white eye with its heavy bold white eye ring, the pin-tailed whydah with its orange beak and long black tail, and the Egyptian goose with deeply pink legs and chocolate melting around its eye.

While non-native species certainly catch the eye, I always take time to appreciate and admire our local birds. More on that in another post.