Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) is in the Ducks, Geese, and Swans family (Anatidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 33,252 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in January.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: winter visitor. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Northern Pintail: observations by month (U.S.)

About Northern Pintail

The pintail or northern pintail (Anas acuta) is a duck with wide geographic distribution that breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator. Unusually for a bird with such a large range, it has no geographical subspecies if the possibly conspecific duck Eaton's pintail is considered to be a separate species.From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Northern Pintail by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)

MallardAnas platyrhynchos

Canada GooseBranta canadensis

Wood DuckAix sponsa

Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata

BuffleheadBucephala albeola

American WigeonMareca americana

Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus

Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ