Waterfowl ID · Dabbler
Mallard
Drake: green head, white ring, chestnut breast. Hen: mottled brown, orange bill.
In flight
Steady wingbeats, blue speculum bordered white
Color palette
Color palette
Green head
Chestnut breast
Gray sides
Yellow bill
Wing feather pattern
Wing pattern (upper wing)
Purple-blue speculum bordered white on BOTH sides.
Peak months in California
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Fish & Game regulations
Federal duck stamp, CA validation and HIP required. Species bag limits apply. Steel shot only.
Current CDFW waterfowl regulations →
Found at
Thermalito OutletUpper Sacramento RiverLower Sacramento RiverAmerican RiverYuba RiverStanislaus RiverTrinity RiverMerced River (Yosemite)Shasta LakeSacramento NWR ComplexGray Lodge Wildlife AreaGrizzly Island / Suisun MarshSacramento Valley WaterfowlDelta WaterfowlCentral Valley WaterfowlGrasslands WaterfowlNew Melones LakeLake TullochDon Pedro ReservoirLake McClureLake McSwainModesto ReservoirWoodward ReservoirTurlock LakeCamanche ReservoirPardee ReservoirNew Hogan LakeLake AmadorFolsom LakeLake NatomaRollins LakeCollins LakeNew Bullards BarEnglebright LakeLake OrovilleLake BerryessaLake SolanoLos Vaqueros ReservoirLake Del ValleSan Pablo ReservoirLake ChabotAnderson LakeCoyote LakeSan Luis ReservoirO'Neill ForebayMillerton LakeBass LakePinecrest LakeLake AlpineSpicer Meadow ReservoirSilver LakeCaples LakeJenkinson Lake (Sly Park)Union Valley ReservoirLoon LakeLake TahoeDonner LakeStampede ReservoirBoca ReservoirProsser Creek ReservoirDelevan NWRColusa NWRSutter NWRUpper Butte Basin WAYolo Bypass WALos Banos WAVolta WANorth Grasslands WAMendota WASan Luis NWRMerced NWR