Green-winged Teal
(common name: greenwing) These small birds weigh less than a pound. Their speculum is green, and the drakes have a rusty head, green eye stripe, and white belly. Drakes whistle, and hens quack softly. In flight, green-wings twist and turn and flash by singly or in compact, erratic groups of five to 50 birds.

Mallard
(common name: greenhead) About two feet long and weighing 2-1/2 to three pounds, mallards have a blue speculum. Drakes have a green head, white belly, and white tail feathers; a small greenish-black curl of feathers can be seen above the white tail. Drakes have a low-pitched, "rheeb" call, and hens use a series of loud quacks. They travel in loose flocks with some pairing evident. Wingbeat is stiff and not very rapid.

Northern Pintail
(common names: sprig, pinnie, pins) Pintails are two feet long and weigh 1-1/2 to two pounds. Their long neck and tail and greenish-brown speculum are distinctive features. Drakes have a chocolate-colored head, white belly, and long, black tail. Drakes whistle, and hens call with a series of quacks. Pintails are graceful fliers that are capable of high speeds.

American Wigeon
(common name: baldpate) Wigeons are less than two feet long and weigh about 1-3/4 pounds. They have a green speculum. Both hens and drakes have an extensive white patch in front of the speculum. The bright white forewing, white belly, and white forehead are good distinguishing features of drakes. Drakes whistle, and hens call with a series of low quacks. Wigeons travel in small flocks, flying fast and irregularly, often with many twists and turns.

Shoveler
(common names: spoonbill, spoonie, broadbill) These ducks are about 1-1/2 feet long and weigh about 1-1/2 pounds. Their green speculum, pastel blue forewing, and oversized bill are distinctive features. Males have a green head, white breast, and rusty-colored sides. Drakes have a distinctive took-took call, and the hens call with a series of weak quacks. Flight is usually fast, steady, and direct.

Snow and Ross's Geese
(common names: white geese, white brant, Arctic geese) These geese are about 2-1/2 feet long and average seven pounds. They are all white with black wing tips. Snow and Ross's geese are difficult to distinguish except by sound; snows have a loud yelping call whereas Ross's geese use a low grunt. Both travel together, often in large flocks numbering in the thousands.

Canada Goose
(common names: honker, cackler) There are several subspecies of Canada geese that vary in weight from three to 12 pounds. They have a black head and neck, white cheek, and brown-gray body. Some races are protected, so some regions of California are closed to Canada goose hunting. Canada geese travel in social groups of two to 50 birds comprised of unattached birds, pairs, and family groups. Canada goose calls are loud and two-syllabled. Large races have lower pitched calls than small races.

White-fronted Goose
(common names: whitefront, speck, specklebelly) White-fronts are 2-1/2 feet long and weigh six pounds. They have a mottled breast and belly, white upper tail, and white outline at the base of the bill. White-fronts have a high-pitched, three-syllabled "le-le-lek" call. These geese travel in characteristic V-shaped flocks comprised of individuals, pairs, and family groups. They are difficult to decoy, preferring to alight away from other groups and maintain their social units.