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California condor
California condor (Gymnogyps californianus), North America's largest land bird, a Critically Endangered vulture saved from 22 birds in 1982 via captive breeding; 607 birds existed by end of 2025, with lead poisoning the main threat.
California gull
The California gull (Larus californicus) is a medium-sized gull of western North America that breeds at inland lakes, winters on the Pacific Coast, and is Utah's state bird.
California quail
California quail (Callipepla californica), or valley quail, a small plump New World quail of the Pacific coast with a six-feather forward topknot, Chi-ca-go call, scaled belly, coveys, and introductions to New Zealand and Chile.
Callipepla
Callipepla (crested quails) is a genus of four Odontophoridae quails of western North America: California, Gambel's, elegant, and scaled quail; formerly split as Callipepla and Lophortyx.
Calonectris
Calonectris is a genus of medium to very large shearwaters, seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae, established in 1915, and includes Cory's Shearwater and Streaked Shearwater.
Calypte
Calypte (Capped Hummingbirds), Gould 1856, a hummingbird genus (Trochilidae) holding Anna's hummingbird C. anna and Costa's hummingbird C. costae, iridescent North American species of Least Concern.
Canachites
Canachites (spruce grouse) is a monotypic grouse genus of North American boreal conifer forests, holding only Canachites canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758); restored from Falcipennis in 2021, with 16 rectrices, a needle diet, and IUCN Least Concern status.
Canada goose
Canada goose (Branta canadensis), also cackling goose split-off, a large black-necked North American goose with a white chinstrap; 11-plus subspecies from 1.4 to 5.0 kg, near-extinct giant subspecies recovered, and abundant resident urban populations.
Cape vulture
Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres, Kransaasvoël), a Vulnerable cliff-nesting vulture near-endemic to southern Africa; about 10,000–13,200 mature birds, threatened by poisoning, powerlines, and wind turbines.
Caprimulgus
Caprimulgus (Linnaeus, 1758), nightjars, is a genus of crepuscular, nocturnal insectivorous birds in Caprimulgidae, restricted by molecular phylogenetics to Old World species, with about 60 traditionally recognized species worldwide.
Caracara
Caracara (Merrem, 1826; synonym Polyborus) is a New World falcon genus of terrestrial, scavenging crested caracaras in Falconidae's Polyborinae, including C. plancus, C. cheriway, and extinct C. lutosa and C. creightoni.
Caracara plancus
Caracara plancus, the crested caracara (formerly split as Northern C. cheriway and Southern C. plancus), is a large ground-walking falcon of open habitats from the southern US to Tierra del Fuego, a generalist scavenger-predator listed as Least Concern.
Cardinalidae
Cardinalidae, the cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings, is a New World passerine family in Emberizoidea, sister to Thraupidae, with 14 genera and 52 species in five major clades that diverged in the mid-Pliocene.
Cardinalis
Cardinalis (Bonaparte, 1838) is a genus of crested Cardinalidae songbirds with three species: northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), vermilion cardinal, and pyrrhuloxia; ICZN Opinion 784 validated the name.
Carduelis
Carduelis (Brisson, 1760) is a finch genus of Fringillidae, type species the European goldfinch Carduelis carduelis; molecular phylogenies proved the traditional broad genus polyphyletic, splitting it into Chloris, Spinus, Acanthis, Linaria and allies.
Carduelis cannabina
Carduelis cannabina, the common linnet (now Linaria cannabina), a small Fringillidae finch of Europe, Asia, and north Africa; a declining farmland bird, IUCN Least Concern, UK Red List since 1996.
Carduelis chloris
Carduelis chloris, now Chloris chloris, the European greenfinch, a Fringillidae finch of Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia; IUCN Least Concern with 48-74 million mature individuals, but UK population down 66% from trichomonosis.
Carduelis flammea
Carduelis flammea is a synonym of Acanthis flammea, the redpoll or common redpoll, a small Holarctic finch. In 2024 the Lesser and Hoary Redpolls were merged into this single species.
Carduelis flavirostris
Carduelis flavirostris, the twite, now Linaria flavirostris, is a small streaky brown finch of European and Asian uplands and coasts; UK Red-listed, about 7,800 pairs, 97.6% in Scotland.
Carduelis spinus
Carduelis spinus, the Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus, 黄雀), is a small Palearctic finch of coniferous woodland that eats alder, birch, and pine seeds, visits feeders, and is Least Concern despite a declining European trend.
Carolina parakeet
Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), the only parrot native to the United States, a green, yellow, and orange bird extinct since 1918 (last captive, Cincinnati Zoo); genome shows no inbreeding, abrupt human-driven extinction, two subspecies dying out around 1914 and 1940.
Carolina wren
Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), a nonmigratory eastern US wren; only the male sings the loud teakettle song; nests in cavities and human objects; about 19 million birds, low concern.
Carrion crow
Carrion crow (Corvus corone), an all-black European corvid; hooded crow (Corvus cornix) is its separate sister species with a fertile hybrid zone. About 1.1 million UK territories, 15% increase 1995–2024, known for tool-learning and nut-cracking with cars in Japan.
Cassowary
Cassowary (Casuarius), flightless ratite bird of New Guinea and Australian rainforests; three species including the southern cassowary, a keystone seed disperser up to 76 kg with a dagger claw, listed Endangered in Australia.
Catamenia
Catamenia (Bonaparte, 1850) is a genus of three Andean seedeater birds in the tanager family Thraupidae, formerly placed in Emberizidae: Band-tailed, Paramo, and Plain-colored Seedeaters, sister to Diglossa.
Cathartes
Cathartes is a genus of three New World vultures (Turkey, Lesser and Greater Yellow-headed) in Cathartidae, unique among vultures for locating carrion by smell, detecting ethyl mercaptan from decaying flesh.
Catharus
Catharus, the nightingale-thrushes and migratory New World thrushes (Turdidae), a genus of about 12 forest songbirds; known for four independent origins of migration, speciation with gene flow, and the 2023 seven-species split of Catharus fuscater.
Cedar waxwing
Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), a fruit-eating North American songbird of the waxwing family with a black mask, yellow tail tip, and red waxy wing tips; nomadic flocks, 64 million population, Least Concern.
Centrocercus
Centrocercus, the sage grouse genus (Swainson, 1832), holds two lekking North American grouse: greater sage-grouse (C. urophasianus) and Gunnison sage-grouse (C. minimus), sagebrush-obligate birds of the western United States and Canada.
Centropus
Centropus (coucals) is a genus of 26 large, ground-dwelling, nest-building cuckoos from Africa to Australia, subfamily Centropodinae; non-parasitic, with reversed sex roles, male parental care, and extinct Pleistocene giants over 1 kg.