Northern pintail
Anas acuta Linnaeus, 1758
The northern pintail (Anas acuta) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a small bird by our size class, with an adult body mass of 944.6 g (from 861.8 g to 1.025 kg in our sources) and a wingspan of 90 cm.
Quick facts about the northern pintail
The northern pintail is a migratory, aquatic herbivore of wetland habitats, with a geographic range of 28,400,000 km². It lays one clutch per year with a clutch size of 7.7, incubation lasts 22.5 days, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 861.8 g – 1.03 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 90 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 27 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 27.4 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 22.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 7.7src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 7.88 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the northern pintail?
Photos of the northern pintail
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the northern pintail live?
Not recorded
What is the northern pintail?
The pintail or northern pintail (Anas acuta) is a duck species with wide geographic distribution that breeds in the northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding range as far as the equator. Unusually for a bird with such a large range, it has no geographical subspecies, although the possibly conspecific duck Eaton's pintail is considered to be a separate species.
The Northern Pintail is a large duck, and the long central tail feathers of the male give the species its English and scientific names. Both sexes have blue-grey bills and grey legs and feet. The drake is more striking, with a thin white stripe running from the back of its chocolate-coloured head down its neck to its mostly white underparts. The drake also has attractive grey, brown, and black markings on its back and sides. The hen's plumage is more subtle and subdued, with drab brown feathers similar to those of other female dabbling ducks. Hens make a rough quacking sound and the drakes a flute-like whistle.
The Northern Pintail is a bird of open wetlands that nests on the ground, often some distance from water. It feeds by dabbling for plant food, adding small invertebrates to its diet during the nesting season. It is highly gregarious when not breeding, forming large mixed flocks with other duck species. This duck's population is affected by predators, parasites and avian diseases. Human activities, such as agriculture, hunting and fishing, have also had a significant impact on numbers. Despite this, the species is not globally threatened due to its large range and abundance.
From the Wikipedia article “Northern pintail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_pintail&oldid=1381585817), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the northern pintail sound like?
Is the northern pintail endangered?
The northern pintail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the northern pintail classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusAnas
- SpeciesAnas acuta Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Anas acuta acuta, Anas acuta tzitzihoa, Anas caudacuta, Anas longicauda, Dafila acuta, Dafila acuta acuta, Dafila epilobium, Dafila epilobium
Other names and names in other languages (152)
- Common pintailEnglish
- Kite-tailEnglish
- PintailEnglish
- Pintail duckEnglish
- SprigEnglish
- АҵыхәеимҿаҧаAbkhazian
- PylsterteendAfrikaans
- بلبول شماليArabic
- البلبول الشائعArabic
- البلبول الشائع البطArabic
- CollilargoAragonese
- coríu rabuduAsturian
- Coríu RabullarguAsturian
- BizquyruqAzerbaijani
- ҠылғойроҡBashkir
- Качка-шылахвосткаBelarusian
- Шилоопашата патицаBulgarian
- উত্তুরে ল্যাঞ্জাহাঁসBangla
- Houad lostekBreton
- ànec cuallargCatalan
- Хӗлӗх хӱреChuvash
- Хĕлĕх хӳреChuvash
- ostralka štíhláCzech
- hwyaden lostfainWelsh
- Hwyaid LlostfainWelsh
- spidsandDanish
- SpießenteGerman
- ΨαλίδαGreek
- ΣουβλόπαπιαGreek
- Ψαλίδα του ΒορράGreek
- pintvosta anasoEsperanto
- Pato rabudoSpanish
- ánade rabudoSpanish
- Ánade rabudo norteñoSpanish
- Carraco ColilargoSpanish
- Pato golondrinoSpanish
- Pato GuineoSpanish
- Pato PescuecilargoSpanish
- Rabudo NorteñoSpanish
- soopartEstonian
- pahlsaba-partEstonian
- soopart e. pahlsaba-partEstonian
- Ahate buztanluzeBasque
- فیلوشPersian
- jouhisorsaFinnish
- stikkontFaroese
- SnælduontFaroese
- Canard piletFrench
- paille-en-queueFrench
- GräfögelNorthern Frisian
- PylksturtWestern Frisian
- Biorearrach tuaisceartachIrish
- biorearrachScottish Gaelic
- Lach stiuireachScottish Gaelic
- Lach stiùireachScottish Gaelic
- lach-stiùireachScottish Gaelic
- lachan-stiùireachScottish Gaelic
- Pato rabilongoGalician
- Laagh fammanaghManx
- સીંગપર (બતક)Gujarati
- Kanna pilèHaitian Creole
- Koloa māpuHawaiian
- חד-זנבHebrew
- ברווז חד זנבHebrew
- ברווז חד-זנבHebrew
- सींखपरHindi
- patka lastarkaCroatian
- nyílfarkú réceHungarian
- Բադ նետապոչArmenian
- Itik UtaraIndonesian
- Itik Ekor-PenitiIndonesian
- Itik lancipIndonesian
- IvurakInuktitut
- KurugaqInupiaq
- GraföndIcelandic
- codoneItalian
- オナガガモJapanese
- კუდსადგისა იხვიGeorgian
- qeerlutoornarnarnaqKalaallisut
- PechinKashmiri
- БабыщкӀэпсыгъуэKabardian
- Хыл хузурухkjn
- Бізқұйрық үйрекKazakh
- 고방오리Korean
- Hos gwafCornish
- SpéissintLuxembourgish
- SpiissintLuxembourgish
- smailiauodegė antisLithuanian
- šisdilut
- garkaklisLatvian
- патка ластовичаркаMacedonian
- വാലൻ എരണ്ടMalayalam
- SilfjunMaltese
- Шовтгоралаг нугасMongolian
- तलवार बदकMarathi
- पिनटेल बदकMarathi
- Itik Ekor RuncingMalay
- pijlstaartDutch
- stjertandNorwegian
- Guit piletOccitan
- ଲଞ୍ଜା ଗେଣ୍ଡିOdia
- Pato Rabo LargoPapiamento
- Patu Rabu LarguPapiamento
- Pilé à-lonque-qheuePicard
- rożeniecPolish
- czuprynkaPolish
- rożeniec (zwyczajny)Polish
- سوئی پوچھلWestern Panjabi
- arrabioPortuguese
- arrabio-comumPortuguese
- arrábio-comumPortuguese
- Marreca-arrebioPortuguese
- Anda gitaRomansh
- raţa suliţarRomanian
- raţă suliţarRomanian
- Rața sulițarRomanian
- Rață sulițarRomanian
- шилохвостьRussian
- или острохвостRussian
- или шиленьRussian
- или шилохвосткаRussian
- ОстралкаRusyn
- МоонньоҕонYakut
- VuojašNorthern Sami
- biekčavuojašNorthern Sami
- juovkavuojašNorthern Sami
- kačica ostrochvostáSlovak
- dolgorepa racaSlovenian
- bishtrraAlbanian
- bishtagjeliAlbanian
- rosa bishtgjeleAlbanian
- ŠiljkanSerbian
- ШиљканSerbian
- Шиљкан (Šiljkan)Serbian
- stjärtandSwedish
- Bata kipiniSwahili
- ஊசிவால் வாத்துTamil
- เป็ดหางแหลมThai
- เป็ดหางแหลม เป็ดหอมThai
- PatoTongan
- kilkuyrukTurkish
- moNopeTswana
- Хыл-кудурукTuvinian
- ШилохвістUkrainian
- шилохвіст північнийUkrainian
- Vịt mốcVietnamese
- Mårlå al longue caweWalloon
- שפּיז־ענטלYiddish
- 尖尾鴨Chinese
- 尖尾鴨〔針尾鴨〕Chinese
- 針尾鴨Chinese
- 针尾鸭Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the northern pintail
Other species in the same genus Anas.
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Eurasian teal
Anas crecca
Indian spot-billed duck
Anas poecilorhyncha
American black duck
Anas rubripes
Pacific black duck
Anas superciliosa
Green-winged teal
Anas carolinensis
CompareNorthern pintail vs MallardNorthern pintail vs Eurasian tealNorthern pintail vs Indian spot-billed duckNorthern pintail vs American black duck
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the northern pintail?
The northern pintail is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, part of the family Anatidae and the order Anseriformes.
How heavy is the northern pintail?
The northern pintail weighs 944.6 g, with values from 861.8 g to 1.025 kg reported by our sources. Its wingspan is 90 cm.
What does the northern pintail eat?
The northern pintail is a herbivore.
What habitat does the northern pintail live in?
The northern pintail lives in wetland habitats and has an aquatic lifestyle. It is migratory.
Is the northern pintail endangered?
No. The northern pintail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the northern pintail live?
The northern pintail has a lifespan of up to 27.42 years according to our sources.
How many eggs does the northern pintail lay?
The northern pintail has a clutch size of 7.7 and one clutch per year. Incubation lasts 22.5 days, and it reaches sexual maturity at 240 days.
Who named the northern pintail?
The northern pintail, Anas acuta, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Northern pintail (Anas acuta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-pintail
“Northern pintail (Anas acuta).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-pintail.
@misc{northern_pintail_2026,
title = {Northern pintail (Anas acuta)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-pintail},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}