Mallard American Coot by their brown heads, white neck and platyrhynchos Fulica americana underparts , grayish back and sides and Common of The Mallard is the most abundant year- long, black, pointed tail. In breeding The American Coot is probably the most round waterfowl resident of California. season, they are found in marshes, commonly seen water in the Yolo By- the Yolo Bypass They feed mainly on plant material but prairie ponds and tundra, preferring to pass. Also called "mud hens", these lobe- also aquatic insects, snails, small crus- rest on exposed muddy or sandy toed birds are related to rails but behave Wildlife Area taceans, earthworms, tadpoles and shores. Their diet consists of seeds of like ducks, diving, and up-ending for the small fish. During migration, pairs will aquatic plants, wild grasses, cultivated same menu as their web-footed cousins. travel to the female 's place of origin. grains, insects, crustaceans, and mol- lusks. This species is not known to be territorial, drakes rarely defend their mate against intruding males. However, males are known to aggressively force their attentions on females of other species.

Northern Spatula clypeata Coot bodies are slate colored, with blackish Mallards often interbreed with domestic The is a common head and neck, and a white bill. Often found ducks, producing a variety of odd- resident in the winter, but rare in the in large flocks, they are awkward in flight, looking hybrids. summer, and is known by its large and look like they are walking on the water as their short wings beat feverishly.

Northern Pintail Marsh Wren Anas acuta Cistothorus palustris

The Northern Pintail is by far the most abundant wintering waterfowl species in You'll hear the Marsh Produced by the Yolo Basin Foundation & California. Males can be distinguished Wren's "tsk-tsk-tsk" in the tules year-round, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife www.yolobasin.org (530) 758-1018 shovel-shaped bill. Known to some as but particulary in the spring. The male builds an Thanks to the Thornton S. and "shoveler", they are specialized feed- Katrina D. Glide Foundation intricate nest woven into ers, using their bill to strain the water Revised CDFW/WLB 4/2018 for insect larvae, algae and reeds, often building sev- crustaceans. Breeding occurs in the eral false nests to elude Northern U.S, Canada and Alaska. predators. Red-tailed Hawk gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, Western Meadowlark seen in the Yolo Bypass, Buteo jamaicensis amphibians, reptiles, and large insects. Sturnella neglecta especially in the winter when Swainson's Hawks are known to be highly they mass in very large flocks. The Red-tailed Hawk is a common gregarious, traveling in great soaring The Meadowlark is a common Robin-sized The male Red-winged is resident species. They flocks of hun- reds druring migration. bird with streaked brown upper body and easily identified by scarlet red can be distinguished from Pactific Flyway Swainson's Hawks migrate bright yellow below with a bold black V on shoulder patches only. They other hawks by their to Mexico, Central and northern South the breast. They are found in meadows, prefer to nest in large colonies whitish breast and rust- America, as opposed to plains and prairies and are best recognized in the thick tules and cattails of colored tail. They the Central Flyway birds by their rich flute-like permanent ponds, and feed in prefer deciduous that will fly as far as song. The nearby fields. forests and open Argentina. meadowlark's bright country where colors, fearless they hunt behavior, abundance, Yellow-billed Magpie small mam- and above all, its loud Pica nuttali mals such cheerful song make it one of the best as rodents. Unlike its black-billed cousin, the Red-tailed known of western song birds yellow-billed Hawks Magpie is found

usually nest in large trees near open- only in the ings, especially in riparian deciduous Northern Harrier grasslands, farms, areas. Nestlings may be killed by blood- Circus cyaneus Red-winged Blackbird and riparian areas of sucking flies, Scrub-jays and other avian Agelaius phoeniceus Central California's predators. You are likely to see a slim Northern valleys and Harrier, with long wings and tail, flying low Wetland marshes in foothills. across the grasslands and marshes in Yolo County are the Males and females are black with Swainson's Hawk search of mice and small birds. As they year-round home of dramatic white contrast on the belly, Buteo swainsoni ascend, look for the telltale several species of wings and shoulders, and iridescent white patch on the rump of The Swainson's Hawk is smaller than a blackbirds including Red- green highlights in the long tail. They both the grey male (with Red-tailed hawk with painty shaded winged, Brewer's, Tri- are large, loud, and showy birds, black wing tips) or the larger underwings, the back edge of the wing colored and Yellow- feeding on nuts, insects, and some brown female. Formerly darker than the front. Many in our area headed. The Red- known as the Marsh Hawk, carrion. are "dark morph" with no contrast from winged Blackbird is the they have a curved, breast to belly. The Swainson's Hawk most common blackbird sound reflecting is a locally abundant breeding resident, face that lets but is listed as "threatened" in the State them hunt like of California. They are often found near owls, by sound water and have a varied diet of mice, as well as sight.