BIRDS OF ICELAND : Anas acuta, pintail

Anas acuta; the pintail is a rather large dabbling duck (about the same size as the mallard) that can be found breeding all over Iceland's wetlands, but never in large numbers. Compared to the mallard these birds have longer necks. The male, with its brown head with a white line coming up from the white breast and the elongated tailfeathers (pintail) are easily identified. The females can be recognized by their light brown color and longer necks compared to the female mallard and by their green speculum. In winter they migrate south to western Europe but some birds canbe found in the winter in the southwest (Greenland breeders?).

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