How to Identify a Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

• Head pattern: Male: chestnut/brown head with a white stripe running up the long neck onto the head
• Tail: Male: long, slender pointed tail; two notably long black central tail feathers
• Bill: Male: slender long pale bluish-gray bill with a black saddle (culmen); Female: bluish-gray bill
• Body pattern: Female: mottled buff-brown overall, lighter brown head, pointed tail
• Wing patch (speculum): Male: gray-brown wing with a green speculum bordered rusty-orange in front and white behind

Overall shape (slender neck, long pointed tail) and speculum color are the key differences separating basic-plumage Pintails from similar dabblers

Marshes, prairies, fresh ponds, lakes, salt bays; favors shallow waters with exposed mudflats Widespread across North America, breeding across Alaska, Canada, and the northern Plains, wintering across the southern US

Male gives a whistling two-note call, often in flight or on the water

Shoot from water level if you can, with the sun behind you, so head pattern and the wing patch show their true colors. Get one frame with the bird side-on and one as it stretches or flaps, which exposes the speculum and belly. Note who it is swimming with; ducks flock by species. The app names the likely species; confirm with the marks above, and check the female separately, since females of many ducks look alike.