Northern Pintail

Anas acutaOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Codes: Common Name: NOPI Scientific Name: ANAACU ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175074

Breeding Location:

Open landscapes, Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Widespread, Abundant

Egg Color:

Olive green, olive buff or cream

Number of Eggs:

3 - 12

Incubation Days:

22 - 25

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with twigs and other vegetation.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Northern Pintail: Large, long-necked dabbling duck with gray and black upperparts, white neck and underparts, and gray sides. Head, throat, and nape are rich brown; a distinct white stripe divides front and back of neck. Wings are gray with glossy green speculum bordered with cinnamon-brown above and white below. Tail is black, long, and pointed. Bill is slender and pale gray; legs and feet are gray. Female is mottled gray-brown overall with gray wings, plain brown head, pointed but shorter tail, and dark gray bill. Juvenile resembles female but is paler brown. Eclipse male is gray overall with buff-brown head and paler neck.

Range and Habitat

Northern Pintail: Breeds from Alaska and Labrador south to California, Nebraska, and Maine. Spends winters south to Central America and the West Indies; also in Eurasia. Preferred habitats include marshes, prairie ponds, tundra, and sometimes salt marshes.

Breeding and Nesting

Northern Pintail: Three to twelve olive green, olive buff, or cream eggs are laid in a shallow ground nest made of grass and lined with down, often some distance from water. Incubation ranges from 22 to 25 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Northern Pintail: Feeds primarily on vegetation, algae, seeds, and insects; forages in shallow water by dabbling.

Vocalization

Northern Pintail: Utters a weak, nasal "geee" and a double-noted, whistled "pruh" or "prripp."

Similar Species

Northern Pintail: Long-tailed Duck has white face patch.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail: Large, dabbling duck. Gray and black upperparts, white neck, underparts, gray sides. Head, throat, and nape are brown; a white stripe divides front and back of neck. Gray wings have green speculum bordered with brown above and white below. Tail is black, long, and pointed.

● Song: "geee", "pruh", "prripp"

● Foraging & Feeding: Northern Pintail: Feeds primarily on vegetation, algae, seeds, and insects; forages in shallow water by dabbling.

● Breeding & nesting: Northern Pintail: Three to twelve olive green, olive buff, or cream eggs are laid in a shallow ground nest made of grass and lined with down, often some distance from water. Incubation ranges from 22 to 25 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Northern Pintail: Long-tailed Duck has white face patch.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Northern Pintail: Breeds from Alaska and Labrador south to California, Nebraska, and Maine. Spends winters south to Central America and the West Indies; also in Eurasia. Preferred habitats include marshes, prairie ponds, tundra, and sometimes salt marshes.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationWidespread, Abundant

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight36.8 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

Speculum

The brightly colored area on the wing (secondaries of the wing) on several duck species.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America