Northern Pintail Anas acuta

Identification Tips:

• Length: 18.5 inches Wingspan: 35 inches
• Medium-sized dabbling duck with very long neck, small head and attenuated rear
• Juvenile similar to adult female

Adult male alternate:

• Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
• Pale gray bill with black stripe down center
• Dark brown head
• White neck, breast and belly with white finger extending up back of neck to rear part of face
• Gray flanks and back with black centers to back feathers
• Whitish patch at rear portion of flanks bordering undertail coverts
• Black undertail coverts
• Long, black central tail feathers
• Green speculum with white rear border and chestnut forward border

Adult male basic:

• Similar to adult female but retains green speculum

Adult female:

• Gray bill
• Tan head and neck
• Mottled tan and dark brown back and body plumage, paler on belly
• Brown speculum with white rear border

Similar species:

Adult male unmistakable in alternate plumage. Females, immature and eclipse-plumage males are similar to many other female ducks but have a distinctive shape: very long-necked, small-headed and pointed-tailed. Note also female's brown speculum bordered at the rear by white.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.

Above information used courtesy of United States Geological Survey.