Northern pintail

Male northern pintail taking off with wings raised and long pointed tail feathers, Manitoba

The northern pintail is one of the most elegant ducks in North America. The drake has a chocolate-brown head, a white stripe running up the side of the neck, a gray body, and the long, pointed central tail feathers that give the species its name.

Pintails are among the earliest spring migrants, often arriving on the Prairies as soon as the ice begins to open on shallow wetlands. They nest in open grassland and stubble, sometimes well away from water, and feed by dabbling and upending in marshes and flooded fields.

I admire the long neck and pointed tail of a northern pintail, which make it one of the most graceful ducks around.

To find out more about the northern pintail and the places it lives, visit All About Birds.

Field notes in photographs

  • Male northern pintail taking off with wings raised and long pointed tail feathers, Manitoba
  • Male northern pintail swimming among cattails with its long pointed tail feathers trailing, Manitoba

Northern pintail Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the northern pintail in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the northern pintail nests and migrates, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the northern pintail in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Hudson Plains, the Southern Arctic, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies (gold) and passing through the Boreal Shield and the Taiga Shield in spring and fall (lilac). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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