Pixley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1959 to provide wintering habitat for waterfowl. It consists of 6,192 acres of valley grassland and wetland habitats on the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley. Pixley NWR is located in southwestern Tulare County, about 12 miles northeast of Kern NWR, about 6 miles west of Earlimart, 5 miles southwest of the town of Pixley, and about 19 miles south of the town of Tulare.

Portions of Pixley NWR lie within the historic Tulare Lake Bed.  In addition to providing wetland habitat, Pixley NWR provides habitat for three threatened and endangered species. About 4,392 acres of alkali playa, grassland, and saltbush scrub are set aside as habitat for them; the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, the San Joaquin kit fox, and the Tipton kangaroo rat. Wetlands, riparian habitat, and row croplands make up the other 1800 acres on Pixley NWR.

This bird list is a preliminary effort at cataloguing the wildlife of the refuge. It is in no way  a complete catalogue of the birds visiting or occupying the refuge. Please help expand this list by sending your field notes with date, species, and observers to Alison.  Email

This list of 23 species is adapted from the official refuge mammal list maintained by Jack Allen and the checklist of the Recent Mammals of Kern County California by Alison Sheehey. Not all species on this list have been officially recorded on the refuge. Species not confirmed are extrapolated from literature range information sources. 

(c) = confirmed sighting     * = introduced by man