Ducks, Geese & Swans in California
Our list for California has 34 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 13 residents, 18 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in California in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 34, most common first
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisResidentCommon35–43 cmRecorded all year
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorCommon44–51 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorUncommon59–76 cmRecorded all year
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataResidentUncommon48–60 cmRecorded all year
Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanopteraResidentUncommon36–43 cmRecorded all year
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorUncommon64–81 cmRegularly Jul–May
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensWinter visitorUncommon69–84 cmRegularly Oct–May
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentUncommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorUncommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–May
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRecorded all year
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Sep–May
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentUncommon47–54 cmRecorded all year
Brent GooseBranta berniclaWinter visitorUncommon55–66 cmRecorded all year
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorUncommon120–150 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorUncommon57–64 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaResidentUncommon63–73 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorUncommon42–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made