Species

Northern pintail

Anas acuta

A slender, long-necked duck with a needle-pointed tail, one of the most elegant of wintering ducks.

Photo Frank Schulenburg (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Migration

At a glance

Size: About 51 to 76 cm long, including the male's long tail
Weight: About 500 to 1,300 g
Habitat: Marshes, flooded fields, coastal impoundments and shallow lakes
Diet: Seeds, grain, aquatic plants, snails and insects
In Georgia: An uncommon to fairly common winter visitor
Voice: Males give a soft, fluty whistle; females quack
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Chocolate-brown head; white neck and breast with a white stripe running up the side of the head; grey body; long, pointed black tail
Female: Slim, mottled brown, with a plain face, grey bill and long neck
Told apart from: Female mallard, which is stockier with an orange-and-black bill
Where to look: Shallow water in coastal impoundments and flooded fields in winter

Behaviour

Pintails feed by dabbling and upending, using their long necks to reach food in deeper water than other dabbling ducks. They are strong, fast fliers and among the most widespread ducks in the world.

Why they matter

Northern pintails were once among the most numerous ducks in North America. They have declined as prairie wetlands dried and were ploughed, because they nest early in open fields where farm machinery destroys nests. They show how the fate of a winter visitor to Georgia is decided on the breeding grounds far to the north.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A shallow scrape lined with down, often in open fields some way from water
Eggs — Usually 6 to 10
Incubation — About 22 to 24 days
Ducklings — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about six to seven weeks
Lifespan — Usually a few years; some over twenty

Living around people

Managed shallow impoundments on the coast are important winter habitat.
Lost fishing weights and lead shot in shallow water poison dabbling ducks.

Misconceptions

Ducks with long tails are escaped ornamental birds. Northern pintails are wild and winter across the South.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Pairs forming; early migrants leave	Migrating north	Nesting in the north begins	Nesting	Ducklings hatching	Adults moulting	Young flying	Migration begins	Moving south	Arriving in Georgia	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 85 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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