Yellow-billed pintail

Anas georgica

Geelsnavelpijlstaart / Spitzschwanzente / Pilet du Chili

The yellow-billed pintail is a South American dabbling duck of the genus Anas with three described subspecies. The yellow-billed pintail has a brown head and neck. The bill is yellow with a black tip and a black stripe down the middle. The tail is brownish and pointed. The upper wing is grayish-brown, and the secondaries are blackish-green. The rest of the body is buffish brown with varying size black spots. The species is sometimes confused with yellow-billed teal, but can be differentiated by the yellow stripes on its bill, its larger size and its tendency not to form large groups.

Above: South Georgia pintail (Anas georgica georgica) in front + Chilean pintail (Anas georgica spinicauda) in the back.

The range includes much of South America, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The nominate and smallest subspecies, the South Georgia pintail A. g. georgica, is thought to number between 1000 and 1500 pairs, and is found only in South Georgia. The Chilean, or brown, pintail A. g. spinicauda is widespread on the South American mainland from extreme southern Colombia southwards, as well as in the Falkland Islands, and numbers well over 110,000. Niceforo's pintail A. g. niceforoi, formerly found in central Colombia, is believed to be extinct, having been last recorded in 1952 (and described only in 1946). Their habitat ranges from high elevation lakes and marshes to low elevation lakes and rivers and coasts in open country.

Nests are formed on the ground and lined with grass and down. They hide their nests in vegetation close to water. They lay 4 to 10 eggs in a clutch.

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern (IUCN, 2012).

Above: male Anas georgica spinicauda (Chilean pintail)

Above: male Anas georgica spinicauda (Chilean pintail)

Above: male Anas georgica spinicauda (Chilean pintail)

Above: female Anas georgica spinicauda (Chilean pintail)

Above: female Anas georgica spinicauda (Chilean pintail)

Above: a pair of Anas georgica georgica (South Georgia pintail)

Above: Anas georgica georgica (South Georgia pintail)

Above: a pair of Anas georgica georgica (South Georgia pintail)

Above: Anas georgica georgica (South Georgia pintail)