Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Dabbling duck with iridescent green male head, yellow bill, and chestnut breast. Frequents Bay Area wetlands, ponds, and larger gardens with water. Forages vegetation; presence indicates healthy aquatic habitat.
Plants that support Mallard
22 plants
Amphibious Bistort
Persicaria amphibia
perennial herb
Primary seed consumption during migration and wintering; critical food source in wetland habitats
Brittle Bladder Fern
Cystopteris fragilis
fern
Dabbling ducks consume fern fronds as supplemental vegetation in wetland habitats
Broad-leaf Cattail
Typha latifolia
grass
Primary food source during migration and wintering in California wetlands, critical for energy reserves
Common Horsetail
Equisetum arvense
fern
Year-round availability in wetland habitats; important early spring food
Common rush
Juncus effusus
perennial herb
Dabbling duck feeds on rush shoots and seeds in wetland habitats; important in California marshes
Creeping Fescue
Festuca rubra
grass
Fall migration through California; grass seed consumption critical for energy reserves
Creeping Spikerush
Eleocharis macrostachya
grass
dabbling duck consuming seeds from Eleocharis in shallow wetlands during migration and overwintering
Giant Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia ssp. braunii
perennial herb
Dabbling duck grazes on emergent vegetation in wetland habitats year-round
Hairy Water Clover
Marsilea vestita
perennial herb
migrating flocks use coastal and interior wetlands Sep-Nov, feed on aquatic vegetation
Horsetail
Equisetum hyemale ssp. Affine
perennial herb
Dabbling duck forages on horsetail shoots in shallow wetlands
Inland Saltgrass
Distichlis spicata
grass
Primary winter waterfowl food resource in California wetlands and coastal marshes
Mexican Rush
Juncus mexicanus
grass
Primary food source in wetland habitats where Mexican Rush occurs
Red Willow
Salix laevigata
shrub
Riparian shelter and nesting cover in willow thickets
Sacramento Valley Buttercup
Ranunculus canus var. canus
perennial herb
Winter waterfowl utilize wetland herb foliage during non-breeding season
Sitka Brome
Bromus sitchensis var. carinatus
grass
Seeds consumed during fall staging before migration; energy replenishment
Slender Club-rush
Isolepis cernua
grass
Dabbles on wetland vegetation; important staging habitat during migration
Slender Wheatgrass
Elymus trachycaulus subsp. trachycaulus
grass
seed consumption during migration staging and winter
Small-fruited bulrush
Scirpus microcarpus
perennial herb
dabbling duck foraging on ripened seeds in marshes during migration and winter
Toad Rush
Juncus bufonius
grass
Important seed resource during fall migration and winter in wetland habitats
Water Pennywort
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
perennial herb
dabbling duck grazes on aquatic vegetation during migration and wintering
Watercress
Nasturtium officinale
perennial herb
Dabbling duck consumes watercress leaves and shoots in freshwater habitats
Wire rush
Juncus balticus ssp. ater
perennial herb
Dabbles in shallow marshes for wire rush seeds and rhizomes during migration and winter