15 Black Birds with Long Beaks in California (With Pictures)
California is home to a diverse array of bird species, and among them are several striking black birds with long beaks. These avian inhabitants contribute to the state’s rich biodiversity, showcasing various sizes, shapes, and behaviors.
Whether you’re an avid birdwatcher or simply curious about the feathered residents of California, observing these 15 black birds with long beaks can be a fascinating experience.
From coastal areas to inland habitats, these birds have adapted to different environments, displaying unique characteristics that make them stand out.
So, hold your binoculars and explore the avian wonders that grace the skies and landscapes of California.
15 Black Birds with Long Beaks in California
1. Common Raven
Where in California does it find
Common Ravens are extremely versatile and can be found all around California. They live in a range of environments, including forests and deserts, and even in cities, showing their adaptability and vast spread throughout the state.
Description of the bird
The Common Raven is a big black bird with shiny plumage and a robust, heavy beak. It has characteristics with other corvids, such as solid and large feet and bills, and has a muscular neck and unusual shaggy throat feathers. Ravens, which resemble crows, distinguish themselves by flying by soaring like hawks.
Where to find Common Ravens
Common Ravens live in a variety of habitats, including open and forested areas in western and northern North America. They are adaptable, growing in deciduous and evergreen woods, high deserts, sea beaches, sagebrush, tundra, and grasslands. Ravens prefer cliffs, big trees, and even urban skyscrapers and are frequently seen in high places.
Size of the bird
- Size: 21 to 28 inches
- Wingspan: 116 to 153 cm
- Weight: 0.69 to 2.250 kg
- Beak Length: 5.7 to 8.5 cm
Diet
Common Ravens have a varied diet, eating small mammals, nesting birds, eggs, and fruit. Prey from other predators and human landfills are all food sources for them. Their diverse diet includes insects, fruits, and leftover foods.
How to identify
Common Ravens are identified by their impressive size—massive, with a thick neck. Distinctive features include shaggy throat feathers and a notable Bowie knife-shaped beak.
2. American Crow
Where in California does it find
American Crows are adaptable residents, living in various environments, spanning entire states and rural and urban areas. They are found in multiple habitats, including tidal flats, agricultural fields, orchards, riparian forests along lakes or streams, savannas, and suburban regions, showing their adaptability.
Description of the bird
Widespread across the continent, American Crows are easily recognizable—large, intelligent, and entirely black, emitting distinctive hoarse caws. Slightly smaller than ravens, they possess glossy feathers.
Where to find American Crow
American Crows sit in treetops or fly through fields and along roadsides. They adapt to various locations, from open woodlands and empty beaches to congested town centers, making them frequently seen in parks, beaches, and cities.
Size of the bird
- Size: 40 to 53 cm
- Wingspan: 85 to 100 cm
- Weight: 316 to 620Â g
- Beak Length: 3 to 5.5 cm
Diet
Crows eat almost anything they can get, from insects, spiders, and snails to earthworms, frogs, and small snakes. Their diet includes carrion, rubbish, eggs, seeds, grain, berries, and fruits.
How to identify
American Crows are easily identifiable by their distinctive caw-caw Sounds and fan-shaped tails. These large birds have a long-legged, thick-necked build, characterized by a heavy, straight bill.
3. Western Meadowlark
Where in California does it find
The Western Meadowlark is a year-round breeding resident in deserts, preferring grasslands and agricultural areas and is a common winter visitor to southern California’s coastal lowlands.
Description of the bird
The Western Meadowlark has shorter tail, flat head, long slender bill, and a round-shouldered posture that almost hides its neck. Moreover, it has short wings and a short, stiff, spiky tail. While not entirely black, its distinctive features include striking yellow bellies and a lengthy beak.
Where to find this bird
The Western Meadowlark is common in open grasslands, meadows, and fields with little vegetation. They are also seen around marshes and roadsides with scant cover.
Size of Western Meadowlark
- Size:  6.3–10.2 inches
- Wingspan: 16.1 inches
- Weight: 3.1–4.1 oz
Diet
The Western Meadowlark survives mostly on insect and seed intake. It primarily consumes beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, ants, true bugs, spiders, snails, and sowbugs.
How to identify
The Western Meadowlark can be identified by its melodic song and the eye-catching yellow and black pattern on its chest.
4. Long-billed Curlew
Where in California does it find
Long-billed Curlews can be found in coastal areas and wetlands. In California, they breed exclusively in Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen, and Plumas northeastern counties. During winter, they migrate and can be spotted along the entire California coast, Central Valley, and the Imperial Valley.
Description of the bird
The Long-billed Curlew is a beautiful bird with an almost impossibly long, thin, and curled beak. It has dotted brown and buff backs, upper wings, and buff bellies and chests. Notably, their underwings are cinnamon in color.
Where to find this bird
Long-billed Curlews are found in myriad habitats, including beaches and mudflats. They breed in the grasslands of the Great Plains and Great Basin. During winter, they migrate to wetlands, tidal estuaries, mudflats, and flooded fields, showcasing their adaptability to a range of environments throughout the year.
Size of Long-billed Curlews
- Size: 20–26 inches
- Wingspan: 62–90 cm
- Weight: 490–950 g
- Beak Length: 11.3–21.9 cm
DietÂ
Long-billed Curlews eat mostly insects and worms. Moreover, in coastal areas, they use their long bills to dig into the mud in search of mussels, crabs, and fish
How to identify
The Long-billed Curlew is identified by its notably long bill, a defining feature that sets it apart. Additionally, its cinnamon underwing adds to its distinctive appearance, making it easily identifiable.
5. Black Oystercatcher
Where in California does it find
Black Oystercatchers settled the West Coast from Alaska to Baja California. These distinctive birds prefer rocky coasts.
Description of the bird
Black Oystercatchers are easily recognizable by their black plumage and distinctive bright red-orange beaks
Where to find this bird
Black Oystercatchers are common around rocky coastlines, jetties, and breakwaters. They avoid cliffs and large headlands. Their environmental preferences allow them to be found in coastal locations.
Size of Black Oystercatcher
- Size: 15-19 inches
- Wingspan: 28 and 36 inches
- Weight: 1.2 lbs
- Beak Length: 9 cm
DietÂ
Black Oystercatcher mostly eat mollusks and other marine organisms found in the rocky coastal zone. Their diets include oysters, mussels, and other shellfish.
How to identify
Black Oystercatchers are known for their loud and piercing sounds, as well as the contrast of their bright red beaks against their black feathers.
6. American Avocet
Where in California does it find
American Avocets are found in shallow waters with little vegetation and beaches. Many also migrate to coastal lagoons, salt ponds, and mudflats throughout the winter.
Description of the bird
American Avocets have thin, elegant, black-and-white bodies. Their large, upturned beak is one of their distinctive characteristics.
Where to find this bird
To peek for American Avocets, look in salt ponds and coastal bays. These elegant birds are often found in these environments.
Size of American Avocet
- Size:  40–53 cm
- Wingspan: 33 to 39 in
- Weight: 12Â oz
- Beak Length: 3.2 to 3.7 inches
DietÂ
The American Avocet survives by eating insects and crustaceans. Its various diets include beetles, water boatmen, midges, brine flies, fairy shrimp, water fleas, amphipods, and more.
How to identify
The American Avocet is identifiable by its graceful wading and distinctive sweeping beak action in the water. Its recognizable features include a black-and-white striped side and back pattern. During the breeding season, the head and neck take on a pinkish-tan hue; in winter, they appear gray-white. Notably, they have bluish-Grey legs and feet.
7. Great-tailed Grackle
Where in California does it find
The Great-tailed Grackle is a common sight, and these birds grow in the warmer temperatures of southern California.
Description of the bird
The Great-tailed Grackle is distinguished by its iridescent black body and distinctive long tail.
Where to find this bird
Great-tailed Grackles can be found in both rural and urban parts of the Midwest and West. They’re frequently seen roaming in agricultural areas and feedlots. These grackles can be found in a variety of suburban settings, including golf courses, cemeteries, parks, and residential lawns.
Size of Great-tailed Grackle
- Size: 38 cm to 46 cm
- Wingspan: 18.9-22.8 in
- Weight: 203 g – 265 g (in male) and 115 g – 142 g (in female)
- Beak Length: 3.2 to 3.7 inches
DietÂ
The Great-tailed Grackle is omnivorous, and its diet includes numerous insects, spiders, millipedes, crayfish, snails, tadpoles, eggs, small fish, lizards, and also the nestlings of other birds. Additionally, they consume plant-based foods such as seeds, waste grain, berries, fruit, and nuts.
How to identify
The Great-tailed Grackle’s huge tail and distinct, loud, and varied sounds make it easy to identify. These lanky blackbirds have a flat crown and a long tail, with males having tails nearly as long as their bodies and carried in a V-shape. Male Great-tailed Grackles have glossy black plumage, but females have brown feathers with a paler brow and neck.
8. Clark’s Nutcracker
Where in California does it find
Clark’s Nutcrackers are commonly found in high mountain regions, particularly in open coniferous forests of the western United States and southwestern Canada.
Description of the bird
Clark’s Nutcrackers are medium-sized birds with bright gray and black wings. A long, pointed bill distinguishes them. Furthermore, they habitually store seeds, frequently in the ground for later consumption.
Where to find this bird
Clark’s Nutcrackers are commonly found in mountainous areas. They are frequently seen in shrubby whitebark or pine stands, with a preference for pine forests.
Size of Clark’s Nutcracker
- Size: 10.6–11.8 inches
- Wingspan: 24 inches
- Weight: 3.7–5.7 ounces
DietÂ
Clark’s Nutcrackers’ main and most popular diet is pine nuts. They also eat seeds, nuts, berries, insects, eggs, nestlings of other birds, and carrion. While adults eat various foods, the young rely mainly on seeds as a source of nutrition.
How to identify
Clark’s Nutcrackers have mostly gray bodies with black wings and a few white outer feathers. The center of their tail is black. Their whistling sounds act as a separating sound indication, which helps their identification.
9. Steller’s Jay
Where in California does it find
Steller’s Jays are found in wooded areas, especially along California’s north coast extending into Alaska, and far inland in regions such as the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains.
Description of the bird
Steller’s Jays are easily identified by their striking blue and black plumage and distinctive crest on their heads. These birds have a sleek appearance with a long, pointed beak.
Where to find this bird
Steller’s Jays are commonly found in evergreen forests, particularly those with oak and pine trees.
Size of Steller’s Jay
- Size: 11.8-13.4 inches
- Wingspan: 17.3 in
- Weight: 3.5-4.9 oz
DietÂ
Steller’s Jays have a varied diet, including pine seeds, acorns, and different seeds and nuts, especially during fall and winter. They also eat a variety of berries and wild fruits.
How to identify
Steller’s Jays can be identified by their hairy crest and unique, loud calls. They seem like black jays from a distance, separated by the absence of the white underparts typical in most other species. The body is consistently blue, with the wings appearing the lightest and nearly glittering.
10. Acorn Woodpecker
Where in California does it find
The Acorn Woodpecker’s home includes forested places with oak trees, particularly along Oregon’s coast and in the foothills of California and the southwestern United States. The area they cover extends south across Central America, to Colombia.
Description of the bird
The Acorn Woodpecker is a stunning bird with a patterned head in black, white, and red. The overall colouration of the bird includes black, white, and red, with a pointed beak.
Where to find this bird
Acorn Woodpeckers live in oak and mixed oak-evergreen forests on slopes and mountains,  where they make storage holes.
Size of Acorn Woodpecker
- Size:  19–23 cm
- Wingspan: 35–43 cm
- Weight: 65–90 g
DietÂ
Acorn Woodpeckers primarily rely on acorns as their top food choice. They also consume insects, particularly ants, as part of their diet. Their food sources may vary, and they also eat various nuts, fruits, seeds, and, on occasion, the eggs of other birds.
How to identify
Acorn Woodpeckers can be identified by their peculiar facial pattern, which includes distinctive black, white, and red marks.
11. Common Grackle
Where in California does it find
While Common Grackles are relatively rare in California, there have been 80 accepted records of their presence in the state. These grackles tend to favor lush areas of the state.
Description of the bird
Common Grackles feature sparkling black plumage and a long, keel-shaped tail. Their heads are flat, and their bills are longer, with a slight downward slope than most blackbirds.
Where to find this bird
Common Grackles are common inhabitants of a wide range of environments, including wet, open forests, marshes, and the suburbs. Likewise, they love parks and agricultural fields.
Size of the Common Grackle
- Size: 11- 13 inches
- Wingspan: 36–46 cmÂ
- Weight: 74–142 g
DietÂ
Common Grackles have a diet that includes a mix of insects, seeds, and small animals. They eat minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, grain, acorns, and even small birds.
How to identify
The Common Grackle is smaller than other grackle species, characterized by a shorter tail and a smaller bill. To identify Common Grackles, look for their iridescent sheen and listen for their harsh calls. These birds can walk around lawns and fields or gather in noisy groups high in trees.
12. Tricolored Blackbird
Where in California does it find
Tricolored Blackbirds can be found in various locations in California. Some recommended places to check for sightings include Kern National Wildlife Refuge, Little Panoche Road in Fresno County, Lurline Road in Colusa County, Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, and Los Banos Wildlife Area.
Description of the bird
Tricolored Blackbirds share some similarities with red-winged blackbirds, but they can be distinguished by their distinct call and markings. Male Tricolored Blackbirds are entirely black and feature a bright red shoulder patch bordered below by a white to cream-coloured band. In contrast, females are dark gray-brown overall with streaked bellies and backs, along with cream-colored eyebrow.
Where to find this bird
Size of  the Tricolored Blackbird
- Size: 7.1-9.4 inches
- Wingspan: 10.2-13.0 inches
- Weight: 1.4-2.6 oz
DietÂ
Tricolored Blackbirds can be found in open and semi-open areas across California. However, their numbers have been declining over time. As a result, they are kept in bird sanctuaries and wildlife preserves.
How to identify
Tricolored Blackbirds can be identified by their specific red shoulder patches with a white edge. This key characteristic sets them apart and makes them easily recognizable, especially among other blackbird species.
13. Brewer’s Blackbird
Where in California does it find
Brewer’s Blackbirds are commonly found in open and semi-open areas across California.
Description of the bird
Brewer’s Blackbirds have a sleek look, with a glossy black feather that has a purple tint.
Where to find this bird
Brewer’s Blackbirds are commonly found in open natural environments across the Western United States, including coastal scrub, grasslands, riversides, and meadows, as well as more urban settings such as lawns, golf courses, parks, and city streets.
Size of  the Brewer’s Blackbird
- Size: 8–10.3 in
- Wingspan: 15.5 inÂ
- Weight: 63Â g
DietÂ
Brewer’s Blackbirds have a varied diet, mainly consisting of insects and seeds, along with some berries. They feed on various insects, including grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, caterpillars, and termites. Additionally, they consume some spiders, snails, and tiny crustaceans. Seeds and waste grains also form a significant part of their diet.
How to identify
Brewer’s Blackbirds can be identified by their distinctive features, including the glistening body and the male’s bright yellow eye.
14. Red-winged Blackbird
Where in California does it find
The Red-winged Blackbird is a frequent and common migrating resident in California’s wetland areas. They are, however, rarely seen in the Sierra Nevada.
Description of the bird
The Red-winged Blackbird has a black body with red and yellow shoulder patches. Furthermore, the Red-winged Blackbird stands out by its highly pointed beak, a feature common among blackbirds.
Where to find this bird
These birds have a versatile preference for habitat and can be found in various environments. Likewise, Red-winged blackbirds are commonly observed in wetland habitats, including cattail, tule, and salt marshes. Additionally, they inhabit wet, shrubby fields, hayfields, old fields, pastures, and even urban parks.
Size of  the Red-winged Blackbird
- Size: 9 inches
- Wingspan: 12-16 inches
- Weight: 1.1 and 2.7 ounces
DietÂ
Red-winged Blackbirds have a mixed diet, with grains, seeds, and insects being their preferred choices. During the summer, they feed on miscellaneous insects, such as beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, millipedes, and snails.
The majority of an adult’s annual diet, approximately three-fourths, consists of seeds, including those from grasses, weeds, and waste grains. Additionally, they consume some berries and small fruits.
How to identify
Red-winged blackbirds are easily identified by their strip red wing patches, or epaulettes, which are most evident when the birds fly or flaunt. Their peculiar musical trill or song is another distinguishing feature that helps their identification.
15. Northern Flicker
Where in California does it find
The Northern Flicker is usually found in forests, edges, and open fields. It is a famous year-round breeding resident in southern California, and there is a wave of migrant Northern Flickers throughout the winter.
Description of the bird
Northern Flickers is a brown woodpecker with attractive black-scalloped plumage. These woodpeckers have a striking look, with a brown body and noticeable black patterns.
Where to find this bird
Northern Flickers are different from woodpeckers in that they hunt on the ground, especially digging for ants.
Size of  the Northern Flicker
- Size: 12 – 14 inches
- Wingspan: 18 – 21 inches
- Weight: 4.2Â oz
- Beak Length: 4.2 cm
DietÂ
Northern Flickers feed on insects, especially ants and beetles, which they collect from the ground. Furthermore, Northern Flickers take fruits and seeds, especially during the winter months when bug supply is decreased.
How to identify
The Northern Flicker differentiates itself by several traits. One noticeable characteristic is the speckled underwing, which is evident when the bird is flying. Furthermore, they display a peculiar ground-foraging behavior in which they forage on the ground for ants and beetles.
Conclusion
California’s skies and fields are alive with the presence of remarkable blackbirds, each boasting its own unique features and behaviours.
These aerial lives add to the richness of the state’s different ecosystems, whether flying through the air or foraging on the ground. So grab your binoculars and get ready to spot their long beaks and glossy feathers!
