Species authority page

Northern pintail

Anas acuta · Ducks · Waterfowl · Migratory game birds

Northern pintail (Anas acuta): Slender, long-necked duck with a pointed tail. Drake: brown head with a white stripe running up the neck, gray body and long central tail. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Northern pintail
Photo by Aleksandar Popovski on Unsplash
Scientific name
Anas acuta
Family
Anatidae
Range
Widespread across North America, breeding in the North and wintering to the south; Siberian birds cross the Bering Strait to winter in North America.
Biology

How to identify it

Slender, long-necked duck with a pointed tail. [1]

Drake: brown head with a white stripe running up the neck, gray body and long central tail. [1]

Hen: mottled buff-brown with a gray bill, pointed tail and long neck. [1]

In flight, a narrow white trailing edge on the inner wing. [1]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Marshes, prairies, fresh ponds, lakes and salt bays; in migration uses shallow water with exposed mudflats. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Drake gives a distinctive two-tone whistle; hen quacks. [1]

Up-ends or submerges head and neck in shallow water; also walks to feed on land. [1]

Fall and winter diet mostly seeds and waste grain; more insects and mollusks in summer. [1]

Migrates in flocks; spring migration starts early and fall migration spans most of autumn. [1]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Widespread across North America, breeding in the North and wintering to the south; Siberian birds cross the Bering Strait to winter in North America.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Audubon Society