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2

Northern Pintail

(Anas acuta)
Alternate name(s): "Pintail", "Pin-tailed Duck"
German name(s): "Spießente"

Size: 59-76 cm (male), 51-64 cm (female); wing span 80-95 cm
Weight: 450-1360 g (male), 455-1135 g (female)
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Northern Pintail at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Near-frontal view of a male Northern Pintail in breeding plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, February 2018]

Lateral view of a male Northern Pintail in breeding plumage; this individual has a particularly dark head/neck (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Bate-Orelhas, Tejo Estuary, Portugal, January 2022]

Lateral view of a male Northern Pintail in breeding plumage; click on image to see a pair of Northern Shovelers for comparison (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal, February 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a male Northern Pintail in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Bate Orelhas, Samouco, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2023]

FEMALE

Female Northern Pintail, centre, with two males in breeding plumage; photo taken at nightfall (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Coruche, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2018]

Female Northern Pintail banking to land (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, Portugal, October 2017]

PAIR

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male, right, and 3 female Northern Pintails in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Bate Orelhas, Samouco, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of a pair of Northern Pintails in flight, male in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Bate Orelhas, Samouco, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2023]

Behaviour

Outside the breeding season Northern Pintails can form large flocks.

Lateral view of a flock of Northern Pintails in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cape Carvoeiro, Peniche, Portugal, January 2023]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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