Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) lives in wet grasslands across Europe, Asia and North America. It feeds on aquatic plants insects. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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A real field recording of the Northern Pintail, made in the wild.
A pintail banded in Labrador was shot in England just nine days later, illustrating its capacity for trans-Atlantic travel.. This speed of movement across oceans shows how the species can exploit distant wintering sites, linking breeding grounds in the far north with habitats as far south as Panama and even the Hawaiian islands, reinforcing its role as a true global migrant.
From a high of over 10 million breeding birds in 1957, the North American pintail population fell to 3.5 million by 1964 and was still 30 % below its long-term average in 1999. In 1997, an outbreak of botulism killed an estimated 1.5 million waterbirds, most of them pintails, underscoring how disease can rapidly reshape a once abundant waterfowl.
Across a swath of 41,900,000 km² (16,200,000 sq mi) the Northern Pintail roams without any recognized geographical subspecies, a rarity for a bird with such a broad distribution.
The male pintail can stretch up to 76 cm (30 in) long and weigh as much as 1,360 g (3.00 lb), while its signature tail feathers can reach 10 cm (3.9 in), giving the bird its pointed name.
Each female lays a clutch of seven to nine eggs, one per day, each weighing 45 g with a 7 % shell, and then incubates them alone for 22-24 days. The demanding early-season nesting also makes the eggs vulnerable to agricultural disturbance.
Sources
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As the Northern Pintail glides effortlessly across the wetlands, its slender neck and tail feathers leave a trail of elegance in its wake, a true embodiment of refinement in the wild. With each stroke of its wings, the pintail seems to dance on the wind, its feathers glistening like polished onyx as it navigates the delicate balance of its aquatic realm. In the soft light of dawn, the pintail's soft quacks fill the air, a soothing serenade that heralds the arrival of spring in the northern landscapes it calls home.
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