pintail

American  

[pin-tayl] / ˈpɪnˌteɪl /

noun

• pintails,
  plural
• pintail
  plural

1. a long-necked river duck, Anas acuta, of the Old and New Worlds, having long and narrow middle tail feathers.

2. sharp-tailed grouse.

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pintail British  

/ ˈpɪnˌteɪl /

noun

1. a greyish-brown duck, Anas acuta, with slender pointed wings and a pointed tail

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pintail
  plural
• pintails
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pintail

First recorded in 1760–70; pin + tail ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pintail pintails

Northern pintail ducks are common, but their population is declining, The Cornell Lab reported.

From Washington Times ● May 4, 2022

As the Prairie Pothole Region goes, so goes the northern pintail.

From Slate ● May 10, 2018

First last August come the iconic northern pintail, an elegant duck, with its needle tail and long, slim profile.

From National Geographic ● Jul. 16, 2015

State officials discovered the virus in the pintail duck as they responded to a die-off of wild ducks at Wiser Lake in Whatcom County.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2014

Frightful might have remained with them had not a flock of pintail ducks come down on the shore below.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Mallards, teals and pintails are common on the Somerset Levels but according to Grahame Madge, the floods will have made it difficult for them to feed.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2014

For families, this can mean trading mouse ears for yoga mats, taking history tours, and spotting northern pintails in state and national parks.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2012

Since then, thousands of birders have observed it paddling among mallards, pintails and geese, said Lora Haller, who works at the Colusa Wildlife Refuge’s visitor center.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2012

These include blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, and northern pintails.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2011

Thus, one winter, pintails will swarm; another, gadwalls and garganeys are conspicuous; the next, at corresponding seasons, one or the other will, perhaps, be almost entirely absent.

From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Walter J. Buck

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