Schell-Osage Conservation Area and the Osage River, which forms the area's north boundary, derive their names from the Osage Indians that once inhabited the area.
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Scientific Name
Anas acuta
Family
Anatidae (ducks, geese, swans) in the order Anseriformes
Description
A dabbling duck named for its long, tapered tail, the northern pintail is a common migrant in Missouri. It has a rather long neck for a duck, and the males are distinctive with their crisp white chests and brown heads. Like other dabblers, it can leap into flight right from the surface of the water.
The adult northern pintail male has a brown head, white breast, and a gray body; the neck is long, slender, and white, with a curved border on the neck where the brown meets the white. A narrow white streak extends up from the neck onto the head. The under tail coverts are black, and the upper tail coverts are long and tapered to a pointed “pin tail.” The flanks are creamy buff.
The female is brownish with a bronze speculum and solid gray bill; the wings are long and pointed, and the tail is not as long as on males.
Females quack and males whistle.
Similar species: The northern pintail’s long neck and uniform brown (male) and tan (female) face distinguish it from other ducks.
Size
Length: 27 inches (male); 21 inches (female) (tip of bill to tip of tail).
Where To Find
Statewide.
Habitat and Conservation
Northern pintails forage in shallow water on marshes, ponds, and lakes. They also commonly visit crop fields or stubble.
They fly fast and often zigzag before leveling off to land.
Pintails belong to a large group of ducks called “dabbling ducks” or “dipping ducks,” which rarely dive completely below the surface but instead tip forward with only their heads or fronts of their bodies under water. Mallards, teal, gadwall, shovelers, and wigeon are also in this group.
Food
Like other dabblers, pintails forage near the surface in shallow water, sifting mud through their bills to strain out aquatic vegetation, sedges, seeds, and invertebrates. In winter, pintails often feed on grain in crop fields.
Status
Common migrant. A few individuals have been observed during the summer, with nesting recorded. Uncommon winter resident statewide.
Global numbers declined nearly 75 percent since the middle 1960s. Loss of habitat is a key problem; conserving wetlands is critical not only for their survival but also for many other species. Careful management of hunting is also important, as numbers typically decline after drought years and tend to rebound during wet years. Spring plowing and related agricultural activities often destroy their nests. Also, the long necks of these ducks enable them to reach down and swallow objects at the bottoms of pools, so ingestion of lead shot has also contributed to the decline.
Life Cycle
Life Cycle
Like many other migratory waterfowl, northern pintails typically fly through Missouri in spring and fall as they move between their breeding grounds (in Canada and northern U.S. states) and their winter territory (in about the southern half of the United States, including southern Missouri, and into Central America). Migration flights are at night; they fly at nearly 50 miles per hour, and they have been documented to fly as far as 1,800 miles before stopping.
Though some are present year-round in Missouri, the numbers peak during migration: in spring, during March, and in fall, October and November. The Missouri numbers are lowest in summer, but it has occasionally been known to breed in our state.
Their nests are built on the ground in brushy or grassy places, usually away from water. As with other ducks, the young hatch covered with down and are able to walk around soon after hatching.
Pintails can live to be more than 22 years old in the wild.
Human Connections
In the early 1900s, waterfowl specialist Herbert K. Job wrote of the pintail: “Though I prefer it alive, I must admit that it is very fine on the table, and that I had just as soon eat it as any other Duck.” He also praised the then-new conservation laws that restored this duck’s numbers.
Many ducks are aesthetically beautiful, and although the pintail lacks the iridescent plumage of several other species, it makes up for it with its smooth lines, crisp white markings, and milk-chocolate-colored head.
Ecosystem Connections
Migratory waterfowl (and any migrating animal, for that matter) play important ecological roles in both breeding and overwintering territories. Pintails, like other ducks, are preyed on by a wide variety of carnivores; their eggs, young, and nesting females are especially vulnerable.
They also influence the ecology of every region they migrate through in spring and fall.
This species also occurs in Europe, Asia, including wintering territory in India, the Middle East, and Africa.
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Media Gallery
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Caption
A dabbling duck named for its long, tapered tail, the northern pintail is a common migrant in Missouri.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
The northern pintail’s long neck and uniform brown (male) and tan (female) face distinguishes it from other ducks.
Credit
Jim Rathert
Right to Use
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
The adult male northern pintail has a brown head, white breast, and a curved border on the neck where the brown meets the white.
Credit
Jim Rathert
Right to Use
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
One key to identifying female northern pintails is their bronze-colored wing patches.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Northern pintails, being dabbling ducks, can take flight easily by leaping right up from the water's surface.
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
This male northern pintail is springing into flight directly from the water's surface.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
Northern pintails forage in shallow water on marshes, ponds, and lakes. They also commonly visit crop fields or stubble.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
Northern pintails typically migrate through Missouri in spring and fall.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
Like other dabblers, pintails forage near the surface in shallow water, sifting mud through their bills to strain out the goodies.
Credit
Jim Rathert
Right to Use
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
As fall approaches the first flights of early migratory waterfowl often include flocks of northern pintail.
Credit
Frank Nelson
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Photo by Frank Nelson, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Every fall the abundance of mass migrations can be witnessed as waterfowl visit our wetlands to rest and refuel on their seasonal journey.
Credit
Frank Nelson
Right to Use
Photo by Frank Nelson, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Credit
MDC
Right to Use
Photo by MDC, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Shallowly flooded wetland in early fall are critical for northern pintail, green-winged teal and blue-winged teal as they migrate south each year.
Credit
Frank Nelson
Right to Use
Photo by Frank Nelson, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Credit
Danny Brown
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Photo by Danny Brown, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Where to See Species
About Birds in Missouri
About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.
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