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Wildlife
- Birds - |
Northern Pintail
(Anas acuta) Y |
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RANGE: Breeds from northern Alaska across northern Canada to
northern and eastern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia to
California, across to the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and
Maine. Winters from southern Alaska south to northern New
Mexico, and east to central Missouri and the Ohio Valley
(uncommonly); along the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts, south
throughout the southern United States to South America.
STATUS: Abundant in the West and common in the East.
HABITAT: Found in a wide variety of habitats, but typically
inhabits open country with low vegetation and with many
scattered small, shallow bodies of water. Frequents lakes,
rivers, marshes and ponds in grasslands, barrens, dry tundra,
open boreal forest, and cultivated fields. Winters on freshwater
and brackish coastal marshes, shallow lagoons, mudflats along
rivers, and sheltered marine waters.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Drakes need mudbanks or exposed
water margins for resting; also shallow wetlands for feeding.
Strongest nesting habitat association along the edges of
freshwater marsh.
NEST: Often builds a nest in a hollow on dry ground, sometimes
concealed by grasses or shrubs, usually within 300 feet
(occasionally a half mile) from water. Nests in stubble fields,
in a dry portion within a large marsh, or in lightly grazed
pasture, but generally avoids timbered or extensively brushy
areas.
FOOD: Prefers to feed in shallow waters of marshes, ponds, and
wet meadows, or in grainfields. Primarily a seed-eater; mostly
(87 percent) consumes vegetative diet, consisting of seeds of
pondweeds, sedges, grasses, smartweeds, and cultivated grains;
also takes some fairy shrimp, snails, earthworms, mollusks,
crustaceans, dipteran larvae, and other insects. .
REFERENCES: Adamus et al. 2001, Bellrose 1976, DeGraff et al.
1980, Johnsgard 1975b, Krapu 1974, Miller 1999, Palmer 1976a,
Shunk 2004. |
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