Bird of the Month: Northern Pintail
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
As many as one million Northern Pintails will migrate in the fall making it one of the most abundant ducks along the Pacific Flyway.
The Northern Pintail is built for streamlined flying with a long neck, tapered body, and narrow wings. It is one of our fastest flying ducks reaching average land speeds of 48 mph with some birds topping out at 75 mph during migration (Clark et al). It was described by Arthur Cleveland Bent as “Vying with the mallard to be the first of the surface-feeding ducks to push northward on the heels of retreating winter, this hardy pioneer extends its migration to the Arctic coast of the continent and occupies the widest breeding range of any North American duck, throughout most of which it is universally abundant and well known” (Bent, 1987, p 144).
The Northern Pintail is one of seven North American, and 39 worldwide, species in the genus Anas. This genus is populated by dabbling ducks which are found in a variety of habitats including ponds, lakes, rivers, flooded fields, and in winter, feeding in grain fields. The species epithet acuta is Latin for pointed or sharp, reflected in the bird’s common English name and the male pintail’s long, pointed tail.
A CLASSY-LOOKING DUCK
The male Northern Pintail is a distinguished duck with an upright posture, long neck, and sloping forehead. The white of its chest flows upward in a narrow vertical stripe which follows the line of its neck. The long black tail feathers and blue edge to its black bill add a touch of class. It is unmistakable in breeding plumage. The female is mottled brown with a wedge-shaped tail and an all-gray bill. The long-necked and long-tailed profile of both male and female offers a structural clue that is often enough to complete an identification (Dunne). Photos, videos, and vocalizations of the Northern Pintail can be accessed at the Macaulay Library.
The structure of the Northern Pintail is also a help when, like many dabbling ducks, the male molts into a female-like eclipse plumage in summer. This change helps camouflage both the male and female during a summer wing molt in which they drop all of their flight feathers and are unable to fly for about a month. Beginning in July, males will move to a molting and staging ground such as the Great Salt Lake until they regain flight. Females are more likely to molt on the breeding grounds.
Northern Pintail
Scientific Name: Anas acuta
Length: 21”
Wingspan: 34”
Weight: 1.8 lb (910 g)
AOU Alpha Code: NOPI
MEADOW NESTER
The Northern Pintail prefers to nest in open country with short vegetation. The female constructs a nest of shallow grasses and twigs usually within about a half mile of water. Pintail clutches tend to be smaller than most other ducks but can still range from 3 – 12 eggs (Clark, et al; Kaufman). Incubation for about three weeks is by the female who will lead the ducklings to water shortly after they hatch. The young will be capable of flight in 6 – 7 weeks.
STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION
The Northern Pintail is a Holarctic species which nests in North America from the potholes area of the Great Basin north through western Canada and Alaska, and in Eurasia from Iceland across Scandinavia and Russia to Kamchatka in the east. It winters from the southwestern United States through Mexico and Central America and in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. In the Pacific Northwest, winter concentrations of Northern Pintail can be found in the Fraser River Delta, Puget Sound, and the Lower Columbia River.
The world population of the Northern Pintail has been relatively steady at around three million birds after dropping from six million in the early 1970s. Recent droughts have negatively affected their numbers, but the population appeared to be stable through the 1990s (Clark, et al). The pintail’s greater annual survival rate and overall longevity likely contribute to this duck’s ability to withstand the effects of predation by Arctic fox and gulls, diseases including avian botulism, and spring snows and freezing temperature, all of which negatively affect population (Clark, et al).
Photo credit: Mick Thompson.
References available upon request from amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org
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