{"id":407,"date":"2026-05-31T12:02:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T12:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=407"},"modified":"2026-05-31T12:02:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T12:02:48","slug":"impossibly-rare-tropical-bird-swooped-over-california-experts-fear-a-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=407","title":{"rendered":"Impossibly rare tropical bird swooped over California. Experts fear a trend."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

A mysterious seabird swooping over the waters off San Clemente in recent weeks has wowed local birders. This species has likely never visited Orange County before.<\/p>

Read more Meta lays off more than 2,000 from Menlo Park headquarters<\/a><\/p><\/div>

\"\"<\/div>

The California Bird Records Committee, a volunteer group with nine voting experts responsible for rare bird records, is investigating if the traveler is a lesser frigatebird, a tropical species.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

There are only two\u00a0previous confirmed accounts, one from 2025 and the other from 2007, of a lesser frigatebird showing up in California. These black-brown birds, which can spread their wings up to 6 feet and shine with a colorful gloss, are common in the southwest Pacific and Indian oceans but are exceedingly rare in the U.S.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cI might try to expedite this lesser\u00a0frigatebird record because it\u2019s so significant,\u201d Thomas Benson, the secretary for the California Bird Records Committee, told SFGATE. \u201cBut it can take up to six months for an average record to get a decision.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

As the committee reviews photographs, audio recordings and written descriptions of the bird to make a determination, ornithologists in California are considering the potential implications of a lesser frigatebird\u2019s arrival on local shores.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

Ryan\u00a0DiGaudio, an ecologist for Point Blue Conservation Science, said it was possible that the current extreme marine heat wave and brewing El Ni\u00f1o might have played a role.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cIt\u2019s not uncommon for unexpected seabirds to show up during exceptional oceanographic conditions\u00a0\u2014 e.g. strong El Ninos or the current marine heatwave much of the Pacific is experiencing,\u201d DiGaudio wrote to SFGATE. \u201cFish, krill, and other seabird food respond quickly to changes in ocean temps\u201d and either die or \u201cmigrate to where their new \u2018comfort zone\u2019 is.\u201d Seabirds in turn will travel \u201cfar across the ocean basins in search of their preferred food.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

He added that it\u2019s \u201csomething we see when ocean temps are out of whack.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

Previously, individual lesser frigatebirds caught the keen eyes of U.S. birders not only in California but also Maine, Wyoming and Michigan. One recent report in Ohio is still under consideration.<\/p>

Read more Jake McCarthy hits 2-run homer, drives in 4 runs in the Rockies\u2019 8-3 win over the Giants<\/a><\/p><\/div>

Peter\u00a0Pyle, a staff biologist at the Institute for Bird Populations\u00a0and a former member of the California Bird Records Committee, cautioned that it\u2019s hard to draw conclusions from the behavior of just one bird. \u201cI think in a lot of cases it\u2019s just that an individual bird is a little cuckoo, you know, and it says, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m\u00a0gonna go travel.\u2019 It\u2019d be like a human who suddenly wants to walk around the world.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

\n
\"image\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>

The Bay Area’s best free newsletter.<\/div><\/h2>
Stay informed, and entertained.<\/div><\/div><\/div>