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Pintail Anas acuta [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Anseriformes
Family:
Anatidae
BTO Codes:
PT , PINTA
EURING No:
1890
Number in Britain:
28 thousand birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
Global:
Least Concern
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IBC
Status in UK:
(A) Migrant Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
Monotypic
.
Length:
58 cm
Wingspan:
88 cm
Weight:
M: 900 g F: 700 g
Scientific name from:
L.: anas =a duck
and L.: acutus =sharp-pointed
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n&c Europe & Asia, North America, WINTERS: south to n&e Africa Asia & n South America
Habitat:
Lakes, rivers, marsh & tundra
Diet:
Omnivorous, feeds on mud bottom at depths of 10-30cm
TitBit:
Probably once the most numerous duck species in the world, the Pintail is a very rare breeder in Britain, possibly because of its very specific habitat requirements - shallow pools in open grassland areas, which are likely to be particularly vulnerable to
the world's warming climate
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Winter:
28 thousand individuals
in 1994-99
Summer:
10 to 34 pairs
in 1998-02
First Record:
1672
[Fossil evidence from
Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]
First Breeding Record:
Inverness-shire 1869
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
20 to 35 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I,II,III), WBD(II*,III*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
55 x 38 mm
Egg Weight:
45.0 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
0
Clutch Size:
7 - 9 eggs
Incubation:
22 - 24 days
by the:
Female
Fledging:
40 - 45 days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
94
Adult Survival:
No data
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
1
year
Typical Lifespan:
No data
Maximum Recorded Age:
15yr11m
(The Netherlands: 27yr 5m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
F*
Wing Length
Sexually dimorphic (female much larger than male)
Male:
276.8 ± 10.3
264 - 289 mm, N =253
Female:
259.4 ± 8.2
244 - 270 mm, N =176
Weight
Sexually dimorphic (female much larger than male)
Male:
1.03 ± 0.14
0.79 - 1.25 kg , N =188
Female:
819.1 ± 131.3 .
620.0 - 1050 g , N =151
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Northern Pintail
Gaelic:
Lach-stiùireach
Welsh:
Hwyaden Lostfain
Danish:
Spidsand
Dutch:
Pijlstaart
Finnish:
Jouhisorsa
French:
Canard pilet
German:
Spießente
Hungarian:
Nyílfarkú réce
Icelandic:
Grafönd
Irish:
Biorearrach
Italian:
Codone
Norwegian:
Stjertand
Polish:
Rozeniec zwyczajny
Portuguese:
Arrabio
Spanish:
Anade rabudo
Swedish:
Stjärtand
Local Names: Winter Duck
Collective Noun: Flight
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Kear, J 2005 Ducks, geese and swans Oxford University Press
[598.48 KEA]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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