Northern Pintail Anas acuta Linnaeus       Field Guide IDs: NG-80; G-48; PE-5O; PW-pl 14; AE-pl 115;AM (I)-160 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy F I: 22-25 DAYS PRECOCIAL 2 F 6-9 (6-12) MONOG F: 36-57 DAYS F GREENS GROUND GLEAN BREEDING: Grassland, cultivated field, tundra, sandy flat, island in boreal forest lake, marsh, pond. 1 brood DISPLAYS: See: Duck Displays. NEST: Occ far from water, concealed in grass, stubble, etc. Filled with dry grass, leaves. Lined with finer materials. Down added as incubation advances. EGGS: Olive-green/olive-buff. 2.2" (55 mm). DIET: About 90 % veg, including seeds, aquatic veg, sedge, grain; minnows, aquatic invertebrates, insects, tadpoles. CONSERVATION: Winters s to n S.A. Nests placed in stubble fields often plowed up. Often poisoned by ingested lead shot. NOTES: Clutch size small for dabbling duck. Female nest site tenacity not well developed. Male deserts female early in incubation. Female feigns injury in defense of young. Ranks third as game bird after Mallard and American Black, in both abundance and distribution. STANFORD. NOTES: Uncommon to fairly common winter visitor at Lagunita, usually seen foraging in shallows at the edge of the lake. ESSAYS: Metallic Poisons; Dabblers vs. Divers; Commensal Feeding; Nest Lining; Feathered Nests; Distraction Displays; Site Tenacity. REFERENCES: Bellrose, 1976; Gooders and Boyer, 1986; Hepp, 1985.