This week’s featured patients are cohabiting outdoor Pool B of International Bird Rescue’s San Francisco Bay center. All belong to the family Anatidae, which comprises ducks, swans and geese.
The birds you see here are susceptible to crash-landings in urban areas and are often found stranded in cities following major storms — the variety of which we’ve experienced in California during recent weeks.
The female Ruddy Duck in the foreground belongs to the genus Oxyura, composed of stiff-tailed ducks.
Like grebes, these birds have legs placed far back on their bodies — an evolutionary feature that aids in diving propulsion as the birds hunt for underwater prey, but renders them largely immobile and helpless on land.
Both the two female Buffleheads and female Common Goldeneye belong to the genus Bucephala of sea ducks. They nest in tree cavities and will forage underwater for crustaceans and aquatic insects. 
To date, our San Francisco Bay center located in Fairfield, CA, has cared for 3,154 birds in 2014 — a 15% increase over last year with two weeks still to go before 2014 ends. Your contribution makes this care possible.
For another look at our outdoor patients, visit our BirdCam for a live look at our grebes in Pool F.