Redondo Beach, California actually does have an official bird, and it's one of the most unusual city birds in the entire country: the Goodyear blimp. In 1983, the city passed Resolution No. 6252 recognizing the Goodyear Airship Columbia as the "Official Bird of Redondo Beach." It's a tongue-in-cheek designation, but it's real and on record. If you're looking for a biological bird representing the broader region, California's official state bird is the California Quail (Callipepla californica), designated by state law in 1931.
What Is the Official Bird of Redondo Beach, California?
Marcus Webb
6 May 2026
City symbol vs. state symbol: how these designations work
State birds are set by state legislatures and apply across an entire state. City birds, when they exist at all, are much rarer and usually come from city council resolutions or proclamations rather than any formal legal code. Most cities in the United States have no official bird whatsoever, so when people search for the "official bird of Redondo Beach," the answer is usually assumed to default to California's state bird.
Redondo Beach is an exception. The city council passed a resolution in 1983 specifically naming the Goodyear Airship Columbia as the city's official bird. The move was tied to the blimp's deep connection to the area, particularly around the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when the Goodyear blimp became a fixture over Southern California skies. A 1996 Los Angeles Times article still referred to the blimp as Redondo Beach's official city bird, calling it by the name "Eagle." So the designation has stuck in the public record for decades.
Redondo Beach's official bird: the Goodyear blimp
Resolution No. 6252, passed in 1983, is the basis for this designation. The specific airship named in the resolution was the Goodyear Airship Columbia. The Goodyear blimp has long operated out of facilities in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, making Redondo Beach a natural home base for the airship and giving the city a quirky but genuine claim to the title.
It's worth being clear: the Goodyear blimp is not a bird in any ornithological sense. The designation is a humorous one, but it carries official weight as a city resolution. Wikipedia's "List of official city birds" includes Redondo Beach with the Goodyear blimp listed as the city bird, putting it alongside a small number of other U.S. cities that have gone to the trouble of officially naming a city bird.
If the city bird isn't what you need: California's state bird
If you're looking for the official bird of California as a state, that's the California Quail, also called the Valley Quail. California Government Code § 423 states it plainly: "The California valley quail (Lophortyx californica) is the official bird and avifaunal emblem of the State." The scientific name used in more recent taxonomy is Callipepla californica, but it's the same bird either way. This is a genuine, biologically real bird, and it's one of the most distinctive in western North America.
How the state bird designation was made official
California designated the California Quail as its state bird in 1931 through Assembly Bill 776, which became Chapter 777 of the Statutes of 1931. The California Secretary of State's official list of state emblems confirms the year as 1931, and the California State Capitol Museum's page on the state bird attributes the designation directly to AB 776. The law has been codified in Government Code § 423 ever since and has never been changed.
What the California Quail actually looks like (and sounds like)
The California Quail is a compact, plump ground bird about 9 to 11 inches long. The most recognizable feature is the teardrop-shaped topknot, a forward-curving plume that sits on top of the head. Males have a rich chestnut belly patch, a black face with a white stripe above the eye, and a scaly pattern on the lower belly. Females are more muted in color but share the same topknot.
The call is one of the easiest identification shortcuts in birding. Cornell Lab's All About Birds describes it as a three-syllable sound that mimics the word "Chi-ca-go," with emphasis on the middle syllable. Once you've heard it, you'll recognize it immediately. The birds also make a distinctive loud burst of sound when startled into flight, which the California State Capitol Museum describes as a "loud, unusual noise" at takeoff. They forage and nest on the ground and travel in coveys, so you'll often see a small group of them moving together through brush or open areas.
Why California chose the quail
The California Quail was a natural fit for the state symbol. California chose the quail in 1931 because it was native and well known to residents across the state, especially in chaparral and oak woodland habitats Why California chose the quail. It's native specifically to California and the broader Pacific Coast region, making it genuinely representative of the state rather than a bird found everywhere across North America. It was abundant and well known to California residents in 1931, both as a game bird and as a familiar sight in chaparral, oak woodlands, and coastal scrub habitats throughout the state. Its range extends through most of California, including the coastal areas around Los Angeles where Redondo Beach sits. The bird is closely associated with the California landscape in a way that resonates both ecologically and culturally.
Other states and the quail connection
No other U.S. state shares the California Quail as its official bird, so California's designation is unique. This is worth knowing because there's a common mix-up between the California Quail and the California Gull. The california gull is often confused with California's actual state bird. The California Gull (Larus californicus) is actually Utah's state bird, not California's. Utah designated it to honor the seagulls that reportedly saved Mormon settlers' crops from a cricket infestation in 1848. So if you see references to the "California" bird being another state's symbol, that's the gull, not the quail.
| Bird | State | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| California Quail (Callipepla californica) | California | 1931 |
| California Gull (Larus californicus) | Utah | 1955 |
The quail itself appears as the state bird only for California among all 50 states, which makes it a fairly straightforward lookup. If you're comparing California's symbol to neighboring states, Nevada uses the Mountain Bluebird and Arizona uses the Cactus Wren, so the quail stands alone in the Southwest as California's unique choice.
Where to verify all of this yourself
For the Redondo Beach city bird designation, the primary source to check is the city's legislative record system. Search Redondo Beach's Legistar portal for "Resolution 6252" or the phrase "Official Bird of Redondo Beach" to pull up the 1983 resolution directly. The city's municipal code on eCode360 may not surface it as a dedicated "city bird" section since resolutions don't always get codified into ordinance, but the resolution itself should be findable in Legistar.
For California's state bird, you have three clean verification paths. First, read California Government Code § 423 directly, which names the California valley quail as the official bird and avifaunal emblem of the state. Second, use the California Secretary of State's "state-emblems.pdf" roster, which lists the state bird with the year 1931. Third, visit the California State Capitol Museum's page on the state bird, which cites Assembly Bill 776 (Chapter 777, 1931) as the authorizing legislation. All three sources are consistent and authoritative.
- Search Redondo Beach Legistar for "Resolution 6252" or "Official Bird of Redondo Beach" to confirm the Goodyear blimp designation
- Read California Government Code § 423 for the exact statutory language naming the California valley quail
- Download the California Secretary of State's state-emblems.pdf for a quick official summary of the 1931 designation
- Visit the California State Capitol Museum's bird page to see Assembly Bill 776 cited as the source legislation
- Use Cornell Lab's All About Birds page for the California Quail if you want identification details, range maps, and audio of the "Chi-ca-go" call
FAQ
Is the Goodyear blimp legally a “bird,” or is it just a nickname?
It is legally recognized as the city’s “Official Bird” through a formal city resolution, but it is not a bird species. The resolution is an official municipal designation, meaning you should treat it as a city symbol rather than a zoological claim.
Where can I find the exact text of Resolution No. 6252 (1983)?
Check Redondo Beach’s Legistar legislative search and filter by the year 1983, then search for “6252” and also the phrase “Official Bird of Redondo Beach.” Resolutions may not appear under a municipal-code category, so locating the PDF or record entry is the reliable step.
Did the resolution name a specific blimp, or does it apply to any Goodyear blimp?
The 1983 resolution specifically identifies the Goodyear Airship Columbia. If a different airship flew later, that later aircraft does not automatically replace the one named in the resolution.
Why do some sources call the city bird the “Eagle”?
Older secondary reporting may have used a different nickname, possibly for public-facing convenience or translation of references. The most reliable way to resolve conflicts like this is to rely on the resolution record itself, not later summaries.
What is the most common incorrect answer people give for Redondo Beach’s official bird?
Many people default to California’s state bird, the California Quail, because most U.S. cities have no official city bird. Redondo Beach is unusual, and the city’s own resolution-backed designation is the exception.
If I’m traveling to Redondo Beach, will I realistically be able to “see” the official city bird?
You can usually see the blimp in the sky when operations are active, but it is not something you can guarantee on a specific day like a local wildlife species. It depends on the blimp’s flight schedule, weather, and operational windows.
Is there any chance Redondo Beach later changed or repealed the city-bird resolution?
To confirm, you would need to search Legistar for later resolutions that reference “Official Bird of Redondo Beach” or “Resolution 6252.” Absent a later repeal or modification, the 1983 designation remains the established record.
Is the California state bird ever confused with the California Gull?
Yes, it’s a frequent mix-up. The California Gull is Utah’s state bird, while California’s official state bird is the California Quail, the one with the distinctive topknot and characteristic call.
Are the quail’s names “California valley quail” and “California quail” the same official bird?
They refer to the same official bird. Government Code uses the “California valley quail” phrasing, and modern taxonomy uses the updated scientific naming, but the symbol refers to that same species complex in practice.
