Photo: Northern Pintail, Dick Daniels, Wikimedia CC
Tom Blackburn
My favorite bird tends to vary with the seasons, and sometimes is determined by what I’ve seen most recently. The Painted Bunting that has been delighting birders along the C&O Canal held the title of “favorite” for a day or so. A delighted birder commented on eBird that it looked like a sparrow that had been painted by a parrot. But for me, a true favorite has to be more than a one-day wonder.
My long-term favorite winter bird is the Northern Pintail. It is far more graceful looking than mallards and most of the other ducks in the Anas genus which look a little dumpy in comparison. The male Northern Pintail’s slender white neck is accentuated by the white stripe extending up the back of its head. Its graceful look and long tail feathers give it an elegant aspect that I think looks like it’s dressed for a formal dinner – as a guest, not an entrée.
Northern Pintail, Dick Daniels, Wikimedia CC
The Northern Pintail has a surprisingly extensive range. They breed in northern latitudes throughout the world, and their nonbreeding range extends into sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. I found them summering in Alaska and the Siberian coast, and wintering in Hawaii and in Myanmar, where flocks of several hundred raft up in wetlands. Of course, there are much easier places to see them, including Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax County, where you can reliably find them all winter. They also can be found in the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, where you have the additional opportunity to see from 70 to 250 Tundra Swans.
Northern Pintails, like other dabbling ducks, eat aquatic plants. Their long necks allow them to obtain food in deeper waters than many other dabblers. Like songbirds, they eat invertebrates during the breeding season to provide more protein for their young.
Northern Pintails are considered to be of low conservation concern. However, like so many other birds, their numbers have declined dramatically due to habitat loss. There are now 70% fewer Northern Pintails than there were 50 years ago.
Even if you’re not an enthusiastic birder, take an hour or so to explore your local wetlands or rivers for wintering ducks. You can decide for yourself whether your favorite is the Northern Pintail, the blue-billed Ruddy Duck, the green-headed Northern Shoveler, the spectacular Hooded Mergansers and Buffleheads or another duck. You’ve got just a few weeks left before they start making their way north for breeding season.