Pintails in Dumfries and Galloway

PintailIf any duck can be described as elegant it is the pintail. They are slightly smaller and slimmer than a mallard. The male has a long thin tail and grey plumage on the flanks with a dark brown head which has a white stripe coming up from the breast to the back of the head at each side. The female is brown and very similar to a female mallard. They are a winter visitor from arctic and sub-arctic breeding areas right across northern Europe. Best viewed in winter in huge rafts on the Solway, on lochs and the wetland areas.