The breeding avifaunas of Figueroa Mountain and Big Pine Mountain in Santa Barbara County and Pine Mountain and Mount Pinos in Ventura and Kern counties are of great ornithological interest. These four mountains support islands of coniferous forest separated by other habitats at lower elevations. Little information on the birds of the first three has been published previously.
From 1981 to 1993, I, with the help of a number of observers, censused the summer resident birds of these four mountains, paying particular attention to the species restricted to high elevations. By comparing these avifaunas with each other, as well as with those of the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains, and the southern Sierra Nevada, I hope to add to current knowledge of the status and distribution of montane birds in southern California.