Birds of British Columbia

What birds are common in British Columbia?

The birds you are most likely to run into in British Columbia right now are Black-bellied Plover, Bonaparte's Gull, and American Coot. Birders reported 303 species across British Columbia on eBird during August 22–28, 2026 — the 18below are the ones that turned up on the most of those days, which is as close to “common” as sightings data gets.

• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• American Coot Fulica americana

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• Common Murre Uria aalge

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• European Starling Sturnus vulgaris

  Reported on all 7 of the last 7 days

• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis

How this is measured: eBird publishes, for each day, every species reported anywhere in British Columbia. We count how many of the 7 days sampled (August 22–28, 2026) each species appears on and rank by that count — nothing here is estimated or modelled. Species tied on days are ordered by the total number of individuals in those records. Rarities work the other way round: rare bird alerts tell you when a bird that is not common shows up near you.