Northern Pintail

Anas acuta

A striking duck with a needle-like tail, often seen gracefully gliding across wetlands across the Northern hemisphere.

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Visual Identification

Appearance

The Northern Pintail is a sleek, elegant duck with a distinctive long, pointed tail. Males in breeding plumage have a chocolate-brown head, white neck, and grey body with intricate black and white patterns. Their namesake pintail is long and needle-like.

Non-breeding drakes in eclipse plumage are relatively dull, with a gray-brown body and a paler breast. Their tail is still pointed, although much shorter, and they have gray bills and legs.

Females are more subdued, with mottled brown plumage and a shorter tail. Both sexes have blue-grey bills and legs and a speculum of iridescent green bordered by white and rust.

Juveniles appear similar to adult females but have darker crowns and less mottling on the flanks and upper parts.

Size

Length

59cm to 76cm

Wingspan

80cm to 95cm

Weight

450g to 1.36kg

Colours

Male Female

Primary Colour

Brown Grey White

Secondary Colour

Black Buff

Beak Colour

Grey Black

Leg Colour

Grey

Primary Colour (Female)

Brown Buff

Secondary Colour (Female)

White

Beak Colour (Female)

Grey

Leg Colour (Female)

Grey

Habitat and Distribution

Habitats

Woodland

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Woodland habitats.

Garden

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Garden habitats.

Wetland

The Northern Pintail can be found in Wetland habitats.

Coastal

The Northern Pintail can be found in Coastal habitats.

Urban

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Urban habitats.

Farmland

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Farmland habitats.

Grassland

The Northern Pintail can be found in Grassland habitats.

Desert

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Desert habitats.

Tundra

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Tundra habitats.

Rainforest

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Rainforest habitats.

Mountain

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Mountain habitats.

Savanna

The Northern Pintail is not typically found in Savanna habitats.

Distribution

Northern Pintails inhabit a wide range of shallow wetlands, including marshes, prairie potholes, and coastal estuaries. They breed across northern parts of North America, Europe, and Asia.

During winter, they migrate to southern regions, including the southern United States, Mexico, and parts of Europe and Asia. They are common in wetland areas throughout the UK and Ireland during non-breeding seasons.

Birdwatchers might spot Pintails from the rare and localized breeding populations in East Anglia and western Scotland in the spring and summer.

Elevation Range

Up to 4,000 meters

Climate zones

Temperate, Subarctic, Arctic

Distribution Map

This map gives you a rough idea of where you might spot a Northern Pintail. The coloured areas show countries where these birds have been seen.

A few things to keep in mind:

Birds might not be everywhere in the coloured areas, for example, they may be present around the coast of that country
Where birds live can change with seasons and available food
This map is quite simple - it doesn't show exact locations

We're working on making our maps even better! Soon, we hope to show you:

More detailed maps for bigger countries, including state and region
How birds move around during different seasons