Yellow-billed Pintail

Overview

The yellow-billed pintail, Anas georgica, is a South American dabbling duck with three described subspecies. It was first formally described in 1789 and is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Brown head and neck with a yellow bill featuring a black tip and a black stripe down the middle.
• Body is buffish brown with varying-sized black spots, and the tail is brownish and pointed.
• The upper wing is grayish-brown with blackish-green secondaries.
• Can be distinguished from the similar yellow-billed teal by the yellow stripes on the bill, larger size, and a tendency not to form large groups.

Habitat

The species ranges across much of South America, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia. Its habitat includes high-elevation lakes and marshes as well as low-elevation lakes, rivers, and coasts in open country.

Did you know?

High-altitude populations possess hemoglobin with a higher affinity for oxygen than those at lower elevations, a trait attributed to gene substitutions from introgressive hybridization with speckled teal.