Long-necked and slim, the Northern Pintail is a graceful, elegant bird. This dabbling duck can be found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, although in considerably lower numbers than in the past. These decreasing numbers are of serious concern to conservationists because other duck species that nest in the same areas have increased in response to management plans and improved weather conditions.

This species is widespread around the globe. It nests across northern Europe, Asia, and North America. Moving south in the winter, it can be found in large flocks in the southern United States, Central America, southern Europe and Asia, and central Africa.

The North American Northern Pintail population was estimated to be about 6 million in the early 1970s. The recent population trend is worsening; the spring 2005 breeding population was estimated to be only 2.6 million birds, which is 38% below the long-term average. Population trend analysis for this species using data from both the Christmas Bird Count and the Breeding Bird Survey confirms that the species is in significant decline.

While populations of other prairie nesting ducks increased dramatically following the droughts of the late 1980s and early 2000s, pintail populations remain 38% below their long-term average and 53% below the North American Waterbird Management Plan goals. Unlike other North American ducks, the Northern Pintail has not responded to recent improvements in habitat conditions in the prairie pothole region, and we are only recently beginning to understand why. The root of the problem seems to be poor nest success rates on the prairie breeding grounds, especially in Canada. There has been continual conversion of prairie grasslands to cropland, and shifting farming practices that fail to leave some fields fallow each season. These changes have resulted in the destruction of many nests by agricultural machinery and high levels of predation. This species may have also been impacted by avian botulism in the late 1990s.

 

In addition to protecting the quality and quantity of North American wetlands, modifications in agricultural practices and cropland development could help this species. The pintail is one of the earliest nesters, and as grassland is destroyed, it nests in stubble fields. Virtually all of these nests are lost to agricultural activities each spring. Efforts to decrease spring tillage—like the planting of fall crops or the conversion of these preferred nesting areas to hay fields—would save many nests and provide habitat less vulnerable to predators. Hunting restrictions and limits are also needed to help this species return to healthy population levels.

For actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

Austin, J. E., and M. R. Miller. 1995. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). In The Birds of North America, No. 163 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

 

Ducks Unlimited: http://www.ducks.org/conservation/icp/Part3/NorthernPintailPopulation.html

 

Kaufman, Kenn. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York.