Pintail

northern pintail (Anas acuta)

pintail, any of four species of sleek, long-tailed, long-necked dabbling ducks of the genus Anas (family Anatidae). They are swift fliers and popular game birds. The common, or northern, pintail (Anas acuta), widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, is a long-distance flier; some Alaskan birds winter as far away as Hawaii. Pairs form at the wintering ground, and the males follow the females back to their summer range.

white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis)

yellow-billed pintail (Anas georgica)

The common pintail is 66–75 cm (26–30 inches) long and weighs about 900 grams (2 pounds). The male has a brown head and throat, white breast, and gray back. The black tail is distinctive for its long central feathers. The female is mottled brown. About eight olive-coloured eggs are laid in a nest in marshes or on prairies. The preferred diet is seeds. The brown pintail (A. georgica), also called the yellow-billed, or Chilean, pintail, and the Bahama, or white-cheeked, pintail (A. bahamensis) are primarily South American species. The red-billed pintail (A. erythrorhyncha) is a grayish African species similar to its New World counterparts except for a red bill.