Conservation of the Northern Pintail

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Conservation of theNorthern Pintail

• Anas acuta
• Kyle Sams

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Taxonomy

• Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata
• Class Aves
• Order Anseriformes
• Family Anatidae
• Genus Anas
• Species acuta

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Northern PintailIdentification

• Drake
• Avg. length is 25
• Avg. weight is 2.26 lbs.
• Chocolate brown head
• White neck, breast belly, white finger up back
  of neck
• Pale grey bill, with black stripe down center
• Gray flanks back, w/ black centers to back
  feathers
• Black under-tail coverts
• Long black central tail feathers
• Green speculum w/ white rear border chestnut
  forward border

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Identification

• Hen
• Avg. length is 21.4
• Avg. weight is 1.91 lbs.
• Tan head neck
• Mottled tan dark brown body, paler on belly
• Grey bill
• Brown speculum white rear border

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Sub-SpeciesEatons Pintails

• Kerguelen Pintail (Anas eatoni eatoni)
• Confined to Kerguelen islands off S. America
• Crozet Pintail (Anas eatoni drygalskyi)
• Confined to Crozet islands, also off S. America

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Pintail Migration

• Among the first ducks to migrate
• Most migrating through Cali.
• Others using the Mississippi flyway, to LA, TN,
  AL, MS
• Also common visitors in Central America

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Breeding Range

• Breed from Alaska, central Canadian Arctic,
  Western Greenland, central USA
• Boreal forest
• Alaskan coastal areas
• Prairie potholes

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Non-Breeding Range

• Mostly central California, Mexico Gulf coasts,
  Texas panhandle, some on Atlantic coast
• Over ½ migrate through Cali.

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Northern Pintail Range
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Mating

• Monogamous
• Same pair mate for life
• Sexually mature at 1 year old
• Mate in late April
• As late as the end of July

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Pintail Breeding Pairs
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• The breeding pair numbers was obtained by the
  Black Duck Joint Venture helicopter survey

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Nesting

• Among the first to Nest
• Nests in open country, w/ shallow, seasonal
  wetlands, low vegetation
• Copulation takes place in the water
• Nests is a scrape in ground in brush/grass, lined
  w/ grass down usually not near water
• Hen incubates eggs alone
• Usually takes 21-25 days

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Young

• Clutch size is usually 8, range 3-14
• Precocial young
• Fledge in 6-7 weeks
• Around ¾ live to fledge
• Half of those live to breed
• About 37.5

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Feeding Characteristics

• Pintails are DABBLERS
• Upend while in the water to feed
• Omnivorous
• Feed on seeds, nutlets of aquatic plants, also
  eats mollusks, crabs, worms, fairy shrimp,
  other aquatic insects
• Insects are more important to females during
  pre-laying laying periods

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Predation

• People are 1
• Coyotes
• Skunks
• Gulls, crows, magpies
• Badgers
• Raccoons

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Population History

• Pop. depends on wet-dry cycle
• In 1955, the breeding pop. was around 6 million
• Fluctuating between 2 10 million
• In the 1970s pops recovered when the wetland
  were good, but fell when prairies were dry
  wetland conditions were poor
• Agriculture has cause most of the problems
• These factors combined have caused declining
  pintail population since the 1980s

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Conservation Status

• Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
• Global status is at G5, secure
• Not endangered, pop. Are lower than desired
• N. American pop. was around 6 million
• Reduced to about 2 million birds according to GDNR

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Northern Pintail Distribution
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Management

• Protect restore wetlands
• Adequate migration wintering habitats must be
  protected, restored, enhanced
• Protect northern boreal tundra habitats
• Develop farm programs compatible w/ pintail life
  style
• Manage for moist soil to stimulate the growth of
  native plants
• Manage for available cover
• Cut back on harvest
• Proper use of fertilizers, pesticides,
  herbicides

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Economical Importance

• One of the most sought after ducks by duck
  hunters
• Damage grain crops and cost farmers money

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Interesting Facts

• Range over more of the Earth than any other
  waterfowl