# Northern Pintail (*Anas acuta*) The Northern Pintail is a graceful duck with a long neck and pointed tail! It loves to glide across water and is often seen in large groups. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 60 - **Habitat:** Marshes and wetlands - **Also known as:** Pintail Duck ![Northern Pintail](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771424507/objects/4611.jpg) ## Appearance The Northern Pintail is an elegant duck known for the male's long, pointed tail feathers and slender neck. Males have a chocolate-brown head with a distinct white stripe extending up the neck from the breast. Females are mottled brown, sharing the same graceful, slender silhouette. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Anseriformes - **Family:** Anatidae - **Genus:** Anas ## Interesting facts - Male pintails have a tail that can be as long as their body! - Pintails fly in V-formations, saving energy during migration. - Their 'pintail' name comes from the male's needle-like tail feather. - They often nest far from water, sometimes in dry grasslands. ## Special abilities - **Endurance Flier:** Northern Pintail can migrate thousands of kilometers because its strong wings and efficient flight pattern help it cover vast distances quickly. - **Sensitive Seeker:** Northern Pintail can find hidden food in mud because its bill is highly sensitive to feel for submerged seeds and insects. - **Wetland Blending:** Northern Pintail has mottled brown feathers that help it hide from predators among reeds and muddy shores. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 56-74 cm - **Wingspan:** 80-95 cm - **Weight:** 0.7-1.2 kg - **Lifespan:** 10-20 years - **Speed:** 70 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 6-12 - **Incubation:** 22-24 days - **Migration Distance:** 4000 km ## Diet & Feeding These ducks mostly eat seeds and plants they find in shallow water, sometimes grabbing insects too. - **Age differences:** Young ducklings eat more insects and invertebrates for growth. - **Primary Foods:** aquatic seeds, submerged plants, insect larvae, small crustaceans, grasses - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Bald Eagle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bald-eagle) (*Haliaeetus leucocephalus*) — Adults and ducklings can be prey for this raptor. - **Eaten by:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — Foxes prey on eggs, ducklings, and sometimes adult ducks. - **Eats:** Hardstem Bulrush (*Scirpus acutus*) — Consumes seeds from this common wetland plant. ## Traits - [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats. - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Watch quietly from a distance and never try to feed or chase wild animals. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Northern Pintail? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Northern Pintail? 56-74 cm ### What is Northern Pintail's wingspan? 80-95 cm ### How much does Northern Pintail weigh? 0.7-1.2 kg ### How long does Northern Pintail live? 10-20 years ### How fast can Northern Pintail move? 70 km/h ### What does Northern Pintail eat? These ducks mostly eat seeds and plants they find in shallow water, sometimes grabbing insects too. ### Where is Northern Pintail usually found? Marshes and wetlands ## Where to spot - [Durso Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/durso-park) — Illinois, US · Park - [Eden Landing Ecological Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/eden-landing-ecological-reserve) — California, US · Nature Reserve - [Grist Mill Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/grist-mill-park) — Virginia, US · Park - [Kirk Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kirk-park) — Virginia, US · Park - [Loop Retail Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/loop-retail-historic-district) — Illinois, US · Historic District - [Michigan–Wacker Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/michigan-wacker-historic-district) — Illinois, US · Historic District [View all places to see Northern Pintail](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/northern-pintail) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Northern Pintail: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-pintail)