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Northern Pintail

Order: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Northern Pintail Male Portrait
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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.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"geee", "pruh", "prripp"

Interesting Facts

  • Unusually for a bird with such a large range, the Northern Pintail has no geographical subspecies if the possibly conspecific Eaton's Pintail is considered to be a separate species.
  • The scientific name comes from two Latin words: anas, meaning "duck", and acuta, which comes from the verb acuere, which means "sharpen"; the species term, like the English name, refers to the pointed tail of the male.
  • This elegant duck with its trim form and swift flight, has been dubbed 'the greyhound of the air’. It has also been called pintail, sprig, sprigtail, spike, and spiketail.
  • A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Northern Pintail
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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.
Family
Species
Length21 - 29 Inches
Wingspan32 Inches

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.
Northern Pintail Male Body Illustration
● 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