Wetlands & Waterfowl's Guide to North American Waterfowl:
Click to load:
American Bittern
American Widgeon
Black- Crowned Night Heron
Black Duck
Blue-Winged Teal
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cattle Egret
Common Egret
Cinnamon Teal
Gadwall
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green-Winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Mallard
Mute Swan
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Redhead
Ring-Necked
Snowy Egret
Snow Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck

Northern Pintail
Scroll down for details
Scientific Name: Anas acuta


Habitat: marshes and ponds


Appearance: 25-29" long. Long, slender neck. Male: Brown head, white stripe on neck; grey body, telltale long, thin black feathers in center of tail. Female: Grey-brown body, grey bill.


Food: Seeds, snails, insects, crustaceans, small fish.


Nesting: Nest is a down-lined hollow of plant material. Female lays 6-12 cream or greenish eggs and incubates for about 26 days. Young are downy, leave the nest soon after hatching and fly at about 7 weeks.

The Northern Pintail is a slender, swift and graceful bird. An abundant circumpolar species, Northern Pintails prefer shallow ponds and potholes, and especially enjoy feeding on the seeds of grasses, sedges and pond weeds. The Northern Pintail is best recognized in the field for its characteristically high ride upon the water and, of course, its long, needle-like tail

Additional Photographs:
Pintails Taking Off
Pintails at Sunrise
Two Pintail Drakes
Single Pintail Drake
Close Up of Pintail Drake's Head
Pintail Preening
Pintail Drake Lighting Off Water
Landing Pintails