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Northern Pintail
(Anas acuta)
: "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)
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Northern Pintails are large dabbling ducks.
Their plumage
is dimorphic,
i.e. males
and females
are different.
In addition, males
have different plumages
during the
breeding season and in
eclipse.
Breeding
male Northern Pintails have a dark grey-brown head and neck, with
a light-grey stripe going down the sides of the neck which connects
with the light-grey front. The flanks are mid-grey, while the
undertail coverts are black. The long scapulars are long; they
are buff with dark centres at the front and grey with dark-grey
centres at the back. The speculum is dark-green.
Their name-giving feature is the long, black, pin-shaped tail.
Females
have cryptic
plumage, with
vermiculation all over. The head and neck are grey with brownish-grey,
while the back, in particular the wing coverts, are dark grey-brown
with light-grey edge lining. The front is greyish-brown, the
flanks with vermiculation, the rest without.
Non-breeding males
resemble females,
but with the upperwings of
breeding
males, with long grey scapulars.
Both sexes have dark-brown irises. The legs and feet are grey.
Males
have a grey bill with a black culmen (all year round), while the bill
of females
is all-grey.
Juveniles
resemble
females,
but with less neat vermiculation.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Northern
Pintail at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Northern Pintail is available
HERE
.
Northern Pintails are present on all continents of the northern
hemisphere, without exception, and Iceland (but not Greenland).
They are a mostly migratory species, with only a few areas where
they are sedentary.
Apart from small parts of Europe, Northern Pintails are sedentary
only along the West coast of the US, parts of the mid-latitude
interior of the US, and the far western border region of the US
with Canada. Everywhere else they are migratory.
In North America they breed basically in all of sub-arctic Canada
and the northern parts of the US. They overwinter in the southern
US, Mexico and down into central America, to north-western Colombia.
In Africa Northern Pintails from Eurasia overwinter along the North
coast of the continent and in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Asia their breeding range extends from roughly a line connecting
the North coasts of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea with Hokkaido,
Japan, to the Arctic circle.
Apart from the Euphrates/Tigris lowlands and a few other, smaller
areas in south-western Asia and the Middle East, the Asian population
overwinters on the Indian subcontinent, south-eastern Asia and up
to Honshu, Japan.
In Europe Northern Pintails are sedentary only around the southern
tip of Iberia, along the lower Danube and a wide strip along the
West coast of the Black Sea and in Scotland.
Elsewhere there is a separation between their breeding grounds and
winter quarters. They are NOT present in a strip ranging from
Belgium in the North-west to most of Romania and Modavia in the
South-east.
Their winter quarters are anywhere to the South-west of that line,
while their breeding range is anywhere to the North-east of the
line (with two small exceptions in southern Sweden and southern
Norway).
During the breeding season Northern Pintails have a preference for
freshwater lakes and smaller pools. While many also spend the winters
on fresh water, they can be found more frequently in (near-)coastal
habitats outside the breeding season.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires reports spotting Northern
Pintails occasionally during the winter months in various wetlands
in southern/central Portugal, e.g. in the Tejo estuary, in
Coruche and Mora, Evora, and at the Montargil Dam.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this page
has been kindly contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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BREEDING |
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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]
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FEMALE |
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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]
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PAIR |
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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]
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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
