Pintail

pintail

Any of four species (genus Anas, family Anatidae) of sleek, long-tailed, long-necked dabbling ducks that are swift fliers and popular game birds. The common, or northern, pintail (A. acuta), widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, is a long-distance flier; some Alaskan birds winter in Hawaii. It is 26–30 in. (66–75 cm) long. The male has a white breast, gray back, and black tail; the female is mottled brown. The preferred diet is seeds. The brown, or yellow-billed, and the Bahama, or white-cheeked, pintails are primarily found in South America. The red-billed pintail is a grayish African species.

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pintail

a greyish-brown duck, Anas acuta, with slender pointed wings and a pointed tail

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Pintail 

(Anas acuta), a bird of the family Anatidae. The body length is about 70 cm. The males weigh about 900 g; the females weigh less. The two middle rectrices are very long (hence the name). The pintail is widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America. In the USSR it is not found in the Far North, the southern European part, and Middle Asia; during the molting period in the summer, it is commonly seen in the Volga River delta and on the lakes of southwestern Siberia and Kazakhstan. It is a migratory bird, and in the USSR it winters on the southern Caspian Sea. The pintail prefers shallow lakes. It nests in dry places. The clutch contains nine or ten greenish white eggs, which are incubated for 22 to 23 days. The diet consists of plants and animals. The pintail is a game bird.