Northern Pintail

Anas Acuta

Northern Pintails may be the lagoon’s most distinguished-looking guests, with slender wings, long, graceful necks, and grey, brown, and white plumage. Males have elegant, sweeping tail feathers. Pintails are dabbling ducks, and sophisticated feathers don’t stop them from throwing their behinds into the air as they reach underwater for goodies buried in the mud.

Fun Fact:
Northern Pintails sometimes migrate amazing distances, flying all the way from the Northwest Territories of Canada to Mexico or Central America.

What’s for Lunch:
Seeds, bulbs, weeds, aquatic insects, crustaceans, and snails

Where’s Home:
The lagoon in winter; nests in Alaska or Canada