Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail has held roughly steady: up 10% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Northern Pintail
The Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) is a North American member of the Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl (Anatidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the waterfowl.
- Size
- 12–43.5 in long (30–110 cm) — a medium to large waterfowl (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and sheltered coastal waters.
- Diet
- Aquatic plants, seeds and invertebrates, dabbled at the surface or dived for.
- Range
- Recorded on 629 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 29 states, most concentrated in the Prairie Potholes.
- Family
- Anatidae · Waterfowl
Notable Northern Pintail TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
No notable trend signals for Northern Pintail. See the full index history below.
Northern Pintail Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Northern Pintail is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.16 (95% range 0.00–0.47). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±21.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the Northern Pintail Is Detected
BBS routes recording Northern Pintail, sized by most recent count.
Northern Pintail Population Trend by State
Northern Pintail Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| TrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology → | Baseline yearThe first year of the smoothed window the trend is measured from. An earlier baseline means a longer record stands behind the number.Full methodology → | Survey routesHow many standard-protocol BBS routes contributed counts. More routes means a steadier, better-sampled index; very thin coverage is suppressed.Full methodology → | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BCR 2 | +33% | 1985 | 18 |
| BCR 3 | 17× | 1995 | 4 |
| BCR 4 | -61% | 1983 | 39 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +18% | 1984 | 15 |
| Great Basin | -77% | 1970 | 92 |
| Northern Rockies | -17% | 1971 | 69 |
| Prairie Potholes | -10% | 1969 | 98 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -41% | 1969 | 7 |
| Sierra Nevada | -80% | 1974 | 6 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -94% | 1972 | 29 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -63% | 1969 | 93 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -94% | 1973 | 57 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -55% | 1969 | 33 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -47% | 1969 | 20 |
| Coastal California | -77% | 1970 | 30 |
Northern Pintail Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 10% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.