Eunoia
UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT, NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER IT'S NOT - Dr. Seuss
Ducks, Pintails, Canvasbacks, Goldeneye, Harlequin
The Northern Pintail is a migratory dabbling duck common in southern BC wetlands, agricultural fields, and estuaries during fall and spring migration. It is a regulated hunting species, with populations monitored to ensure sustainable harvest.
Yellow Listed
Human Health Hazard
Conservation Status
Syilx
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Description
Adults measure 50–65 cm in length, with a wingspan of 80–95 cm, and weigh 450–750 g. Males have long, pointed tail feathers, a chocolate-brown head, white neck stripe, and gray body, while females are mottled brown with a shorter tail.
Habitat
They occupy marshes, shallow ponds, flooded fields, and estuaries, preferring open water with emergent vegetation. Agricultural fields are important for foraging during migration.
Food
Northern Pintails are omnivorous dabblers, feeding on seeds, aquatic plants, invertebrates, and grains. They often forage by tipping forward in shallow water.
Social System, Activity & Movements
They are gregarious outside the breeding season, forming large flocks for foraging and roosting. During breeding, males defend territories while females raise broods.
Reproduction & Parental Care
Breeding occurs in the Arctic and northern BC, with females laying 7–10 eggs in concealed ground nests. Incubation lasts about 21–24 days, and female solely cares for the precocial ducklings until they fledge at 6–7 weeks.
Natural Mortality & Predators
Eggs and ducklings are preyed upon by foxes, gulls, raptors, and raccoons. Adults face predation from raptors and hunting mortality.
Credit
ChatGPT