Northern Pintail

How to recognise it

• Male has a chocolate-brown head and white breast, with a white stripe up the neck side
• Slightly smaller and much slimmer than a Mallard, with a long, pointed tail
• Female is mottled pale brown with a greyish-brown head, long neck and long grey bill
• Male's central tail feathers can grow up to ten centimetres long

Call and song

The male gives a soft whistled proop-proop, similar to a Teal's. The female has a falling, Mallard-like quack and a low croak when flushed.

Where and when

The Northern Pintail is a migrant that breeds in Sweden, mainly in northern Lapland and nearby parts of Norrbotten and Västerbotten. In southern Sweden it is very rare, with small populations on Öland and Gotland. The breeding population is estimated at about 780 individuals, and the species is listed as Endangered on the Swedish Red List 2025. It is reported from all 21 counties, most often in September and October.

Food and behaviour

It upends in shallow water for plant material and small invertebrates. It feeds mostly in the evening or at night, resting much of the day. Outside the breeding season it forms very large mixed flocks with other ducks. It flies very fast, wings slightly swept back, and takes off from water without a run-up. It nests on the ground, and the female alone incubates seven to nine eggs.