Pintail

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The (Northern) pintail is a medium-sized dabbling duck, the male with a body-weight of about 850 g and a length of 64-74 cm, the female with a body-weight of about 800 g and a length of 53-58 cm. It has a very long neck, small head and attenuated rear, grey bill and grey feet.

During the breeding season, the drake's plumage is dark brown on the head, neck, breast and belly are white with white a finger extending up back of neck to rear part of face. The flanks are grey and back with black centres to back feathers. There is a whitish patch at the rear portion of the flanks bordering the undertail coverts, which are black. The central tail feathers are elongated and black. There is a green speculum with white rear border and chestnut forward border. The female has a tan head and neck, mottled tan and dark brown back and body plumage, paler on belly, and a brown speculum with white rear border. The summer plumage of the male is similar, but the green speculum is retained.

Nests may be far away from water. 6 to 12 cream-coloured eggs are laid, which are incubated by the female alone for 21-26 days.

Seeds of aquatic plants are the Pintail's main food, but in winter it also eats small aquatic animals; when freshwater habitats freeze over, it resorts to tidal flats, where it feeds on snails and small crabs.

Did you know?
that male Northern Pintails are aggressive, often forcing their attentions on females of other species?

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	ANSERIFORMES
Suborder	ANSERES
Family	ANATIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Anas acuta
Name (English)	Pintail
Name (French)	Canard pilet
Name (German)	Spiessente
Name (Spanish)	Anade rabudo
Local names	Czech: Osralka stíhlá Dutch: pijlstart Estonian: Soopart Pahlsaba-part Finnish: Jouhisorsa Greek: Psalída Hungarian: Nyílfarkú réce Italian: Codone Polish: Rozeniec Portuguese: Arrabico Romansch: Anda gita Swedish: Stjärtand
CITES Status	Appendix III (Danemark)
CMS Status	Appendix II (as Anatidae spp.) Included in AEWA

Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Breeds throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Winters south to North Africa, Arabian Gilf, southern Asia, Hawaii, northern South America.
Habitat	Freshwater wetlands
Wild population	The global population is estimated to be 6,100,000- to ,500,000 individuals by Wetlands International (2002).
Zoo population	665 reported to ISIS (2006).

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 18 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
J. M. Garg

Why do zoos keep this animal