The northern pintail is a dabbling duck with long, pointed tail feathers. It visits fresh and brackish tidalmarshes and rivers throughout the Chesapeake Bay region from autumn through spring.
Appearance:
Males and females have different patterns and coloring
Males have a dark brown head, a white neck and breast, and a grayish back. A finger-like white stripe extends from the neck into the brown part of the side of the head.
Females are mottled brown all over with a tan head and neck
Long, slender neck
Grayish bill
Long, pointed tail feathers. The female’s tail is much shorter than the male’s needle-like one.
Metallic brown wing patches (called specula) with a white border on one side
Grows to about 26-30 inches with a wingspan of about 35 inches
Habitat:
Usually found on tidal fresh and brackish wetlands and nearby shallow waters
Also lives on freshwater streams, creeks, ponds and lakes
Range:
Visits the Chesapeake Bay region beginning in early autumn
Leaves in early spring to migrate northward for the summer
Feeding:
Eats mostly seeds from bay grasses and aquatic plants
Will also eat small insects and crustaceans
Feeds at the water’s surface or by “tipping up” its tail and submerging its head to reach food underwater
Also eats grains and seeds from farms and fields
Predators:
Humans are pintails’ greatest predator
Bobcats and coyotes prey upon adult pintails
Gulls, foxes and raccoons eat eggs and young
Flight:
Takes off by jumping straight from the water
Can be identified in flight by its long, pointed tail feathers
Voice:
Male’s call is a soft, double-toned whistle that sounds like kwee-hee
Females make a low, hoarse quack
Northern Pintail courtesy of Pamela C. Rasmussen/Avian Vocalizations Center
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
Does not nest and breed in the Bay region
Nests throughout the central continental United States, as well as in Canada and Alaska
Can live as long as 22 years in the wild
Other Facts:
Also known as sprigs
Gets its name from its long, pin-like tail
Has the largest breeding range of any duck in North America
Can migrate very long distances in relatively short periods of time. A northern pintail was once banded in Labrador, Canada, and shot by a hunter in England nine days later.
