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Birds in the Golden Gate National Parks

Learn more about birds and birding in the parks.

American Coot
Park E-Ventures Article

Coot Boon on Rodeo Lagoon!

One of the things winter visitors in the Marin Headlands might notice is the abundance of waterfowl at Rodeo Lagoon. Most people brush the birds off as just “ducks,” but a closer look reveals a far more complex avian world.
Red-tailed Hawk
Park E-Ventures Article

Big Bird, Little Bird: Size and Identifying Sex of Raptors

As a nature lover hiking through the Marin Headlands, you might be able to quickly identify a couple of raptors flying overhead. At first glance, you also might discern their relative sizes. But what does that tell you about the sex of the raptors?
GSM transmitters at GGRO
Park E-Ventures Article

Fresh Tracks: GGRO Continues Innovative Raptor Monitoring

In addition to our annual hawkwatch, banding, and radiotelemetry programs, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory has launched several new research projects to further understand raptor movements and health. Read on to discover how you can help!
Students search for migrating raptors
Park E-Ventures Article

Rapturous Raptors: Insider Tips on Watching the Fall Migration

Every autumn, up to 19 species of birds of prey make their annual appearance over the Marin Headlands. With tens of thousands of raptors counted during the fall migration, it’s the largest flight of its kind in the western U.S.! Read on for hawk-watching tips from our Golden Gate Raptor...
Searching for migrating hawks
Park E-Ventures Article

The Speedy Swifts: Living Up to Their Name

Hawk Hill isn’t just a spot for watching raptors. In the fall, visitors who point their binoculars at smaller birds might be treated to the aerial acrobatics of migrating swifts. Learn more about these amazing—and mysterious—insectivores.
Snowy Plover
Park E-Ventures Article

Twitter 1.0: Dissecting Five Types of Bird "Tweets"

To humans, bird vocalizations can be inspiring and soothing—or annoying, in the case of those early morning arias. But for birds, they perform critical communication functions. Read on to learn about five types of vocalizations, and what they teach us about birds’ surroundings.
snowy egret
Park E-Ventures Article

The Origins of Feathers

Feathers are a uniquely avian adaptation—or are they? While feathers can only be seen on birds today, evidence has shown that many dinosaurs also had feathers. Read on to learn about the variety—and possible purposes—of dinosaur feathers.
owl at Muir Woods
Park E-Ventures Article

Owls: Custom-Made for Night Hunting

The trailside discovery of a Great Horned Owl tail feather sparked this rumination: What are some of the many adaptations that make owls such proficient hunters in the dark, quiet night? Take wing and learn more about their unique traits.
White Crowned Sparrow
Park E-Ventures Article

What Is a Species?

Even Charles Darwin, the preeminent biologist, had trouble defining a species. The more we learn, the harder it gets. Life does not always supply black-and-white categories—which can impact how we conserve and protect the species around us.
Sweeney Ridge
Park E-Ventures Article

Un-Discovering SF Bay: Hiking Sweeney Ridge from Sneath Lane

It seems remarkable that we can pinpoint an exact date—November 4, 1769—when Europeans first caught sight of San Francisco Bay. Afterward, nothing would ever quite be the same, ecologically or anthropologically, in this grand watershed. Or would it?