Wildlife of San Francisco Bay Area
The Bay Area packs together tidal marsh, coastal scrub, oak woodland and one of North America's richest marine upwelling zones. Expect harbour seals and sea lions at the shore, mule deer and bobcats in the headlands, and endemics like the California scrub-jay and the salt-marsh song sparrow that you can barely see anywhere else.
Best timeMarch – May for wildflowers and songbirds, September – November for whale migration off the Farallones.
- 1Coyotes recolonised San Francisco in the 2000s — they now breed in the Presidio.
- 2The Farallon Islands, 30 miles offshore, host the largest seabird colony south of Alaska.
- 3Point Reyes has three subspecies of endemic salt-marsh birds.
Signature species
Curated for San Francisco Bay Area, each tagged with its IUCN Red List status.
- CR
California condor
Gymnogyps californianus
Reintroduced to Big Sur.
- NT
Steller sea lion
Eumetopias jubatus
- EN
Salt-marsh harvest mouse
Reithrodontomys raviventris
- NT
Ridgway's rail
Rallus obsoletus
- LC
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
IUCN codes — EX extinct · EW extinct in wild · CR critically endangered · EN endangered · VU vulnerable · NT near threatened · LC least concern · DD data deficient
Dos & don'ts
Local etiquette that keeps wildlife wild.
Do
- Keep coyote encounters brief — haze politely and walk away.
- Visit Point Reyes tule elk reserve in autumn for the rut.
- Keep distance — use zoom or binoculars, never bait animals closer.
- Stay on marked trails to avoid trampling nests, burrows and plants.
Don't
- Don't disturb harbour-seal pupping beaches at Point Reyes (March–May).
- Don't take tidepool creatures home.
- Never feed wildlife — human food changes behaviour and shortens lives.
- Don't share exact locations of nests, dens or rare species online.
Spotted here lately
Live from iNaturalist — research-grade observations within 60km, last 30 days.
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