Northern Pintail

Anas acuta

Class

Aves

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anatidae

Range

North America, Europe, Russia, Asia, winters in northern Africa, Pacific Islands

Size

Length: 20 - 30 in
Weight: 1 - 3 lbs

Habitat

Lakes, rivers, marshes, swamps, ponds, barrens, tundra

Young

Clutch of 3 - 12 eggs

Diet

Grain, seeds, weeds, aquatic insects, crustaceans, and snails

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Coloration

Male northern pintails have a chocolate-brown head with a white stripe on each side of the neck extending up from the white breast and belly. Female northern pintails have a dark brown upper body with a buff or gray head and lower body.

Dabbling Duck

Pintails dabble and up end to feed on the seeds of moist soil and aquatic plants.

Nesting

The Northern Pintail is among the earliest nesting ducks in North America, beginning shortly after ice-out in many northern areas. If an intruder threatens, a female pintail will pretend to be injured, then lead the predator away from her chicks.