Sisters Country birds

The northern pintail is a relatively common dabbler duck feeding on grains, seeds, crustaceans and aquatic insects. It gets its name from the long tail feathers ending in a distinctive narrow sharp tip.

They begin nesting in very early spring, laying 6-12 pale olive eggs which hatch in 21-25 days. Ducklings leave the nest immediately and are capable of flying in 38-45 days.

Pintails once were one of the most abundant ducks in North America but have suffered a disturbing decline since the 1950s. A loss of 2.6 percent population per year between 1966 and 2012 resulted in a cumulative decline of 72 percent. In 2009 the pintail's population was estimated at 3.2 million birds well below the American Waterfowl Management Plans objective of 5.5 million.

Slim and long-necked, the northern pintail displays an elegant appearance on water and in flight, earning the nickname "greyhound of the sky."

Groups of pintails are known as a "paddling," "raft," or a "flush." 

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