The Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) is an elegant, slender dabbling duck with a long, pointed tail, the male instantly recognisable by his chocolate-brown head and a white neck stripe that rises in a narrow wedge toward the nape — one of the most stylish-looking ducks found in Sweden. It measures 51–66 cm including the tail spikes, has a wingspan of 79–87 cm and weighs 600–1,100 grams; besides the brown head, the male shows a grey body with fine vermiculation and a long, pointed black tail, while the female is a more discreet mottled brown, identifiable by her slender body, slim neck and pointed tail. The overall impression, both swimming and in flight, is elongated and graceful.
The male gives a soft, whistling "prrü-prrü" call, while the female utters a low, fairly typical duck quack, both heard mainly during display and in flocks. The Pintail breeds only sparsely in Sweden, mainly in the northern mountain regions, with a small and declining population estimated at 200–500 pairs; during migration, especially in April and September–October, larger numbers rest at lowland lakes and shallow coastal bays in southern Sweden, and a few birds can be seen at ice-free coasts even in winter. It nests at mountain tarns and other shallow waters, the female placing her nest on the ground well hidden in vegetation and laying a clutch of 7–9 eggs; she incubates and raises the ducklings alone, and they are able to swim soon after hatching. As a dabbling duck it feeds mainly by grazing the water's surface and tipping forward in shallow water, taking aquatic plants, seeds, insects, crustaceans and snails. The species is classed as Least Concern globally, but the small Swedish population continues to decline.
Read about this species in Swedish →