Pintail
Scientific Name: Anas acutaMaltese Name: Silfjun
Family: Ducks (Anatidae)
Occurence: Regular
Breeds in Malta: No
Overview:
The Pintail is one of the most elegant duck of all surface feeders. Males in winter have a brown head, white neck stripe and breast, yellow patch near its tail and a long black tail. Female is pretty plain with a grey bill and legs. In summer, males have dullish bodies. Dabbles in search of food but also grazes. It has a quick straight wing beat and appears quite long necked in flight. It breeds in north-eastern countries and it migrates to the Mediterranean and northern Africa for the winter. The Pintail is known to live between 15 to 25 years.
Status:
Is a regular migrant. It is recorded from autumn until spring, in singles or in small and large flocks. Like other duck species, large flocks are seen out at sea without passing over land, often mixed with other ducks. Along with the Garganey, the Pintail is the most abundant species of ducks recorded during the duck migration in spring, when up to 5,000 ducks are seen on in an average year.
When to See:
Spring is certainly best time especially in March when large flocks (sometimes even of a 1,000) are recorded offshore. It is also seen in autumn and winter but in smaller numbers.
Where to See:
A few individuals are recorded each year, spending a few hours or days at our local reserves. Otherwise it can be seen offshore. In spring Cirkewwa and Qammieh are very good sites where flocks funnel through the Comino Channel. While in autumn, Qawra can be good. A telescope is ideal to observe migrating flocks as they are often far out at sea.
Photographs:
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Male Pintail, Simar Nature Reserve |
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Male Pintail, Simar Nature Reserve |
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