Northern pintail

Scientific name: Anas acuta

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Males display a chocolate-brown head with contrasting white breast and underparts, plus a long slender neck and pointed tail feathers. Females are mottled brown overall with a streamlined profile; both sexes show distinctive long, slender necks and relatively small heads.

Size and weight

Males: 51–66 cm, 680–1,015 g. Females: 48–58 cm, 570–850 g.

Habitat

Northern pintails inhabit open wetlands including marshes, shallow lakes, prairie ponds, and coastal estuaries with minimal emergent vegetation. They prefer areas with clear sight lines and ready access to deep water for escape.

Distribution

Circumpolar breeders across northern temperate and arctic regions; in North America, range from prairie pothole regions to arctic tundra. Winter primarily in open water of southern lakes, coastal bays, and southern interior wetlands.

Diet

Pintails feed on aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates (midges, amphipods) in shallow water, with greater reliance on plant material in winter and spring.

Behaviour

Highly alert and fast-flying dabbling ducks, most active at dawn and dusk, often resting in deep water during midday. They form loose flocks outside breeding season and are among the earliest spring migrants.

Hunting tips

Glass open water edges and shallow marshes for the distinctive silhouette—long neck and slender profile visible at distance. Approach from downwind with low profile; pintails spook easily and flush with sudden bursts of speed. Morning and late-afternoon flights to feeding areas offer best opportunities; decoy spreads work effectively when birds are already actively feeding.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 9 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.