Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail, male, breeding plumage

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Northern Pintail, female

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

Slim and long-necked, the Northern Pintail has a distinctive silhouette. The male is easy to identify by his striking markings and long tail, but even the female can be recognized by her graceful, long-necked shape.

Description

• Medium-sized duck.
• Long, thin neck.
• Pointed tail, extremely long in males.
• Male with white chest, white stripe up neck, and dark reddish brown head.

• Size: 51-76 cm (20-30 in)
• Weight: 500-1450 g (17.65-51.19 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male boldly patterned with white chest and long tail; female dull brown.

Sound

Male makes wheezy mewing notes and a whistle. Female quacks.

Conservation Status

Not endangered, but populations are lower than desired.

Other Names

Canard pilet (French)
Pato golondrino (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Like the Mallard, the Northern Pintail breeds in a variety of habitats all across northern North America and Eurasia. Also like the Mallard, island populations have splintered off and evolved into separate species. Two closely related forms can be found on Crozet and Kerguelen islands in the very southern Indian Ocean, known as Eaton's Pintail (Anas eatoni).
• The Northern Pintail is among the earliest nesting ducks in North America, beginning shortly after ice-out in many northern areas.

Sources used to construct this page:

Austin, J. E., and M. R. Miller. 1995. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). In The Birds of North America, No. 163 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.