Pintail Drake
The Pintailed duck derived its name from its long thin "pin-like" tail feathers which are black in colour. The Pintail is very graceful and slender built with a long narrow greyish bill. The head is a dark chocolate brown with a very conspicuous white stripe running vertically down both sides, the breast is white and extensive patches of black and cream appear on the rear quarters, these coupled with the "Pin" tail feathers make it easily recognised. The Pintails breeding range is mainly northerly and the main bulk of the migratory birds arrive mainly from Russia and can be seen on most estuaries although the largest numbers prefer inland sites such as lakes and reservoirs. The wing bar is a dull green while the back is a lightish grey.
Its feeding habits vary but it is mainly a dabbling duck i.e. it upends and reaches down to the length of its neck, head and upper body to gather seeds, roots, and leaves from various pond weeds and eel grass, grain, rice and even acorns figure among its foodstuffs. Animal type foodstuff is also consumed in the form of insects, molluscs, fish and tadpoles. Pintail are mainly night feeders.
The female is again a dull brown and the tail pins are shorter.