Dabbling ducks
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
A slender, long-necked dabbler with an elegant, needle-pointed tail.
- Length
- 51–76 cm
- Wingspan
- 80–95 cm
- Weight
- 0.5–1.45 kg
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
About this duck
Northern pintails are built for distance: long-necked, long-winged and fast in the air. They breed across the far north of North America, Europe and Asia, then travel south to spend the winter on wetlands, flooded fields and estuaries, often in large, restless flocks.
How to spot one
Drakes have a chocolate-brown head, a white stripe running up the side of the neck, a gray body and long black central tail feathers. Females are slim and scaly brown, with a plain face, a gray bill and a shorter pointed tail.