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Saw some pictures of shot in a duck's gizzard that someone posted the other day, so I opened up my birds from this weekend. Went through 8 mallards and 4 greys. Only found one pellet (that had been eaten) out of 12 birds. Interesting thing was every birds was absolutely packed with the same seed. It was almost identical to a blackberry seed like you get stuck in your teeth except it was a good bit darker (coffee colored). Any ideas on what it was, and what type of areas it will grow in.

coffee beans?

Dingleberries!!!!

Cotten??
Millet??

It was not milo or millet. It definitely was not any seed grown commercially. It was very flat and the seed is kidney shaped and quite small. Only thing I can compare it to is a blackberry seed.

Two things come to mind when you mention flat, coffee colored seeds that are kidney shaped (especially the kidney shape). Partridge pea would be my first choice and sicklepod a distant second. Is the seed coat shiny or dull. Morningglories are kidney shaped, dull black, and larger. Although partridge peas are usually considered an upland type plant, I see them often on wet edges and periodic flooding seems to give them the opportunity to take hold. Not sure if they are a great duck food, but certainly preferred by many other type birds. Often referred to as an opportunistic (sp) plant because it is found often on edges that get some disturbance (which helps reseeding) but not enough to take out the population. Should be able to find some remains of small pods around your duck hole if the ducks were indeed feeding there. Pods will be two and half - three inches long. Partridge peas are a native legume very important in the food chain for quail.

rjohnson wrote:Dingleberries!!!!

HA!

It was almost identical to a blackberry seed like you get stuck in your teeth

If it's that small, I say it's smartweed, but I won't bet my paycheck on it.

Could be smartweed, black shiny seed with more of a heart shape, 1/3 the size af a partridge pea seed. The appendage on the end will turn one way or the other.

Smartweed.....native grasses attract ducks!

Partridge pea have square seeds that are black...

could be hemp sesbania....coffee weed
been a while since I looked at seed identification

Sesbania looks like small, chocolate jelly beans.

Useful site http://www.nrcs.usda.gov
Click on the Plants Database
Images of plants, seeds, and a wealth of information as far as plant characteristics and adaptability.

Very few plants are not grown commercially. If there is a market for it, someone is growing it, just may not be available at the local feed store.