Day 147 - Pointedlly Pintastic Pintails

Northern Pintail (Anus acuta)

Hi all today's Day 147 and I have been at Wonderful Washington Wetlands and Wildfowl Centre again today and I managed to get some pictures of a lovely duck that I saw last time, but didn't manage to get a picture of. They are a lovely bird to watch and the length of their tail was absolutely astounding. From the clues, title and pictures, you'll know that I am talking about Pintails.

So, here are the facts:

• Pintails are a very localised species. The 29,000 wintering birds occur in sheltered coasts and on Estuaries.

A very elegant bird

• The other 18 to 66 breeding birds are in Eastern England and South Western Scotland all year and Central Scotland in Summer.

• Their diet is a range of invertebrates and plants.

• They are an Amber Status bird because of their small breeding population. They have been an Amber Status for at least the last 3 assessments.

• They are quite a big duck with a 58cm length and an 88cm wingspan. Males weigh 900g and females weigh 700g.

Looking for dinner

• The sad thing about breeding populations is that there aren't any nest records in the UK. Obviously more would be welcome as they are a lovely bird!

• They have two local names. The first one is 'Winter Ducks' and the second is 'Sea Pheasant'. The collective noun for Pintails is a 'Flight'.

• They have a typical lifespan of 3 years but the oldest ever Pintail was 15 years 11 months and 20 days old.

So, if you want some more information then here are a few links:

RSPB - Pintails

BTO Birdfacts - Pintails

Hope you enjoyed,

Z.