Order
(Screamers, Ducks, Geese, and relatives)
California Biota Home Page....Animalia....Chordata....Vertebrata....Aves
Order
(Screamers, Ducks, Geese, and relatives)
Canada Goose...Canvasback...Common Goldeneye....Hooded Merganser....Lesser Scaup...Mallard
The Order Anseriformes is represented in
California by members of its largest family, the Anatidae. These highly
aquatic birds, the familiar ducks, geese and swans, share several unique
characteristics that render them easy to distinguish. They are relatively
long-necked and short-legged, and display a 'waddling' gait when walking on
land. The feet bear four digits, with the three anterior-directed ones
joined by webbing, an adaption for swimming. The spatulate (flattened) bill is
well equipped with tactile nerve endings (Herbst corpuscles) along its
margins. Most members of the order undergo what is called a 'synchronous
molt', in which all primary feathers are lost simultaneously, rendering them
temporarily flightless.
The following native, vagrant, and introduced taxa are found in California:
| Family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans) | ||
| Genus Anas | ||
| Anas acuta (Northern Pintail) | ||
| Anas americana (American Wigeon) | ||
| Anas clypeata (Northern Shoveler) | ||
| Anas crecca (Green-winged Teal) | ||
| Anas cyanoptera (Cinnamon Teal) | ||
| Anas discors (Blue-winged Teal) | ||
| Anas formosa (Baikal Teal)h | ||
| Anas penelope (Eurasian Wigeon) | ||
| Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard) | ||
| Anas querquedula (Garganey)h | ||
| Anas rubripes (American Black Duck)h | ||
| Anas strepera (Gadwall) | ||
| Genus Anser | ||
| Anser albifrons (Greater White-fronted Goose) | ||
| Genus Aix | ||
| Aix sponsa (Wood Duck) | ||
| Genus Aythya | ||
| Aythya affinis (Lesser Scaup) | ||
| Aythya americana (Redhead) | ||
| Aythya collaris (Ring-necked Duck) | ||
| Aythya ferina (Common Pochard)h | ||
| Aythya fuligula (Tufted Duck)h | ||
| Aythya marila (Greater Scaup) | ||
| Aythya valisineria (Canvasback) | ||
| Genus Branta | ||
| Branta canadensis ( Canada Goose) | ||
| Branta bernicla (Brant) | ||
| Genus Bucephala | ||
| Bucephala albeola ( Bufflehead) | ||
| Bucephala clangula ( Common Goldeneye) | ||
| Bucephala islandica ( Barrow's Goldeneye) | ||
| Genus Chen | ||
| Chen canagica ( Emperor Goose)h | ||
| Chen caerulescens ( Snow Goose) | ||
| Chen rossii ( Ross' Goose) | ||
| Genus Clangula | ||
| Clangula hyemalis ( Oldsquaw) | ||
| Genus Cygnus | ||
| Cygnus buccinator ( Trumpeter Swan)h | ||
| Cygnus columbianus ( Tundra Swan) | ||
| Cygnus cygnus (Whooper Swan)h | ||
| Cygnus olor ( Mute Swan) w | ||
| Genus Dendrocygna | ||
| Dendrocygna autumnalis (Black-bellied Whistling-Duck)h | ||
| Dendrocygna bicolor ( Fulvous Whistling-Duck) | ||
| Genus Histrionicus | ||
| Histrionicus histrionicus ( Harlequin Duck) | ||
| Genus Lophodytes | ||
| Lophodytes cucullatus ( Hooded Merganser) | ||
| Genus Melanitta | ||
| Melanitta perspicillata ( Surf Scoter) | ||
| Melanitta fusca ( White-winged Scoter) | ||
| Melanitta nigra ( Black Scoter) | ||
| Genus Mergellus | ||
| Mergellus albellus ( Smew)h | ||
| Genus Mergus | ||
| Mergus merganser ( Common Merganser) | ||
| Mergus serrator ( Red-breasted Merganser) | ||
| Genus Oxyura | ||
| Oxyura jamaicensis ( Ruddy Duck) | ||
| Genus Polysticta | ||
| Polysticta stelleri ( Steller's Eider)h | ||
| Genus Somateria | ||
| Somateria spectabilis ( King Eider)h | ||
| h = Vagrant | ||
| w = Introduced species | ||