Preferred habitats include fresh emergent wetlands, adjacent lacustrine waters, and nearby wet croplands, pastures, meadows, and grasslands. In northeastern California, common to abundant on major refuges late October to December and March and April, but rare remainder of winter. Along south end of the Salton Sea, fairly common November to February, and rare in March. On the coastal slope, rare in southern California, and rare and irregular in northern California. On breeding grounds, the diet consists mainly of roots and shoots of grasses and sedges.
Most food is obtained by grubbing, grazing, and gleaning in wet fields.
No additional data found. In California, prefers to forage in wet, open fields near lakes or ponds for resting. Yearlong, diurnal activity. Prefers to feed early and late in day and rest in mid-day. Hunting pressure probably results in nocturnal feeding, as with snow goose.