Costa Mesa

Ecosystem Overview

The Costa Mesa ecosystem supports 100 documented wildlife species across 90 taxonomic genera. Located in Orange County, California, this area provides critical habitat with diverse natural communities. The location hosts 21 frequently observed species and 19 occasionally documented species, creating a balanced ecosystem with both resident and visiting wildlife. This location ranks #12 for species diversity among 73 Orange County County natural areas, placing it in the 84th percentile for biodiversity.

Biodiversity Highlights

100

Total Species

Documented wildlife species

Genus Diversity

Taxonomic genera represented

Common Species

Frequently observed species

Rare Species

Occasionally documented species

#12

Regional Rank

Out of 73 locations

Species Distribution

Very Common21 species

Common30 species

Occasional30 species

Rare19 species

Regional Context

Regional Ranking

#12 of 73 locations

84th percentile for diversity

vs. Anaheim

0% species diversity

Ecosystem Overview

‌
‌
‌
‌

Biodiversity Highlights

‌

Species Distribution

Very Common‌

Common‌

Occasional‌

Rare‌

Regional Context

Regional Ranking

‌

Most Common Species

Showing 20 most frequently observed species out of 100 total documented species.

Cornu aspersum

Brown garden snail

Very Common15 obs.

Passerculus sandwichensis

Savannah Sparrow

Very Common6 obs.

Rumex spinosus

Very Common6 obs.

Heliotropium curassavicum

Seaside Lavender

Very Common5 obs.

Zonotrichia leucophrys

white-crowned sparrow

Very Common5 obs.

Amsinckia menziesii

Menzies' fiddleneck

Common5 obs.

Deinandra fasciculata

clustered tarweed

Common5 obs.

Ricinus communis

Castorbean

Common5 obs.

Artemisia douglasiana

Douglas' wormwood

Common4 obs.

Isocoma menziesii

Common4 obs.

Phacelia ramosissima

branched phacelia

Common4 obs.

Setophaga coronata

Myrtle Warbler

Occasional4 obs.

Frankenia salina

Alkali seaheath

Occasional4 obs.

Baccharis pilularis

coyotebrush

Occasional4 obs.

Sterna forsteri

forster’s tern

Occasional4 obs.

Myoporum laetum

Ngaio tree

Occasional4 obs.

Baccharis salicifolia

sticky baccharis

Occasional4 obs.

Heterotheca grandiflora

Telegraphweed

Rare4 obs.

Sayornis saya

Say's phoebe

Rare4 obs.

Murgantia histrionica

Rare4 obs.

Want the Complete Field Guide?

Get all 100 species with 3-4 high-quality images each, detailed descriptions, and a downloadable PDF for offline use.

Premium field guide includes identification tips, seasonal patterns, and professional layout optimized for field use.

Most Common Species

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

Want the Complete Field Guide?

‌
‌

‌

Get Your Personalized Field Guide

Download a professional PDF field guide featuring all the species found in Costa Mesa. Perfect for outdoor adventures, education, and nature exploration.

$6.99

Get Your Personalized Field Guide

Download a professional PDF field guide featuring all the species found in Costa Mesa. Perfect for outdoor adventures, education, and nature exploration.

Email Address (for delivery)

Your field guide will be delivered to this email address. Please double-check for accuracy.

$6.99

Regional Comparison

Regional Ranking

100

Species Count

+15%

vs. Regional Average

Compared to 8 nearby locations in Orange County County, California

Nearby Natural Areas

Anaheim

Importance: 0.59

100 species

0% vs. current

Orange County

Importance: 0.55

100 species

0% vs. current

Santa Ana

Importance: 0.50

69 species

+45% vs. current

Fullerton

Importance: 0.47

100 species

0% vs. current

Orange

Importance: 0.46

100 species

0% vs. current

Newport Beach

Importance: 0.46

100 species

0% vs. current

Mission Viejo

Importance: 0.44

100 species

0% vs. current

Garden Grove

Importance: 0.44

23 species

+335% vs. current

About This Comparison

These comparisons are based on documented wildlife observations from citizen science data. Locations with higher species counts may have more observation activity, different habitat types, or larger coverage areas. Regional rankings help identify biodiversity hotspots and unique natural areas within Orange County County.

Regional Comparison

‌

Regional Ranking

‌

Species Count

‌

vs. Regional Average

‌

Nearby Natural Areas

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

About This Comparison

‌
‌
‌

Regional Comparison

Regional Ranking

100

Species Count

+15%

vs. Regional Average

Compared to 8 nearby locations in Orange County County, California

Nearby Natural Areas

Anaheim

Importance: 0.59

100 species

0% vs. current

Orange County

Importance: 0.55

100 species

0% vs. current

Santa Ana

Importance: 0.50

69 species

+45% vs. current

Fullerton

Importance: 0.47

100 species

0% vs. current

Orange

Importance: 0.46

100 species

0% vs. current

Newport Beach

Importance: 0.46

100 species

0% vs. current

Mission Viejo

Importance: 0.44

100 species

0% vs. current

Garden Grove

Importance: 0.44

23 species

+335% vs. current

About This Comparison

Ecosystem Overview

Biodiversity Highlights

100

Total Species

Documented wildlife species

Genus Diversity

Taxonomic genera represented

Common Species

Frequently observed species

Rare Species

Occasionally documented species

#12

Regional Rank

Out of 73 locations

Species Distribution

Very Common21 species

Common30 species

Occasional30 species

Rare19 species

Regional Context

Regional Ranking

#12 of 73 locations

84th percentile for diversity

vs. Anaheim

0% species diversity

Most Common Species

Showing 20 most frequently observed species out of 100 total documented species.

Cornu aspersum

Brown garden snail

Very Common15 obs.

Passerculus sandwichensis

Savannah Sparrow

Very Common6 obs.

Rumex spinosus

Very Common6 obs.

Heliotropium curassavicum

Seaside Lavender

Very Common5 obs.

Zonotrichia leucophrys

white-crowned sparrow

Very Common5 obs.

Amsinckia menziesii

Menzies' fiddleneck

Common5 obs.

Deinandra fasciculata

clustered tarweed

Common5 obs.

Ricinus communis

Castorbean

Common5 obs.

Artemisia douglasiana

Douglas' wormwood

Common4 obs.

Isocoma menziesii

Common4 obs.

Phacelia ramosissima

branched phacelia

Common4 obs.

Setophaga coronata

Myrtle Warbler

Occasional4 obs.

Frankenia salina

Alkali seaheath

Occasional4 obs.

Baccharis pilularis

coyotebrush

Occasional4 obs.

Sterna forsteri

forster’s tern

Occasional4 obs.

Myoporum laetum

Ngaio tree

Occasional4 obs.

Baccharis salicifolia

sticky baccharis

Occasional4 obs.

Heterotheca grandiflora

Telegraphweed

Rare4 obs.

Sayornis saya

Say's phoebe

Rare4 obs.

Murgantia histrionica

Rare4 obs.

Want the Complete Field Guide?

Get all 100 species with 3-4 high-quality images each, detailed descriptions, and a downloadable PDF for offline use.

Premium field guide includes identification tips, seasonal patterns, and professional layout optimized for field use.