Anas georgica
The Yellow-billed Pintail, *Anas georgica*, is a medium-sized dabbling duck, typically measuring 40-55 cm (16-22 in) in length with a wingspan of 65-80 cm (26-31 in) and weighing 500-800 grams (1.1-1.8 lbs). Its most distinctive feature is a striking bright yellow bill, often with a black culmen stripe and black tip, contrasting with an otherwise relatively plain, buffy-brown plumage. The body is mottled brown with darker streaks on the flanks, and it exhibits a characteristic long, pointed t...
Primarily found in freshwater wetlands, including marshes, shallow ponds, lakes, rivers, and high-altitude bogs, often with emergent vegetation. It occupies elevations from sea level up to 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) in the Andes.
Omnivorous, primarily consuming a mix of aquatic invertebrates (insects, crustaceans, mollusks) and plant matter, including seeds, leaves, and stems of aquatic and emergent vegetation. Forages by dabbling and up-ending in shallow water.
Yellow-billed Pintails are diurnal and active foragers, often seen dabbling and up-ending in shallow waters to strain food from the water or graze on emergent vegetation. During the non-breeding season, they are gregarious, forming mixed-species flocks with other ducks, but become more solitary o...
The Yellow-billed Pintail has a broad distribution across temperate and subtropical South America, with populations largely resident or undertaking local movements. The nominate subspecies, *Anas georgica georgica*, is restricted to the subantarctic island of South Georgia. The more widespread su...
Least Concern
- The Yellow-billed Pintail is the only pintail species predominantly found in the Southern Hemisphere, a stark contrast to the Northern Pintail's widespread range. - Its bright yellow bill with a black stripe is one of the most distinctive and easiest identification markers, making it stand out ...