The male Northern Pintail has a chocolate-brown head, throat and hind-neck, white on the breast which extends up along side of neck, white belly, greyish flanks and uppersides with elongated grey feathers with black central stripes on back, a long pointed black tail, silver-blue beak with black stripe, and blue-grey legs.
The female is a mottled brown with a grey-brown head, shorter tail but the same distinctive long beak which is duller in colour.
The male in eclipse plumage is similar to the female but has elongated grey tertial feathers, retains its wing pattern, and the beak remains a bright silver-blue black stripe down the middle.
Typical Adult is 59-76cm (23-30in).
Aquatic plants, seeds, sedges, pondweed, molluscs, crustaceans, and some aquatic insects.
Open wetlands, wet grasslands, lakesides, or tundra. The Northern Pintail is widespread in North America, Europe, and Asia. It winters further south in the USA, Mexico, Central America, western Europe, Africa and southern Asia.
April to June.
7 to 9 (creamy-white colour).
River Cottage's collection of Pintails changes regularly. Please visit us regularly to keep up-to-date with our flock
Click the button above to add a pair of Northern Pintails to 'My Enquiries' which is available at the top of each page, and similar to a 'basket' on an ecommerce website!
Note: All birds are subject to availability and we reserve the right to alter prices as the market and our costs dictate. Viewing is strictly by appointment. Please contact us for futher details
