Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Yellow-billed Needletail Duck
- Scientific name: Yellow-billed Pintail, Anas georgica
- Classification: Waterfowl
- Family: Anseriformes, Anatidae, Anatidae
Vital signs data
- Body length: 61-71 cm
- Weight: 535-635g
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
The duck's bill is bright yellow with a black tip.
Distribution and Habitat
They are distributed in South America, including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands (also known as the Malvinas Islands).
They typically inhabit wetlands, high-altitude lakes, swamps, lowland lakes, and rivers.
Appearance
The Yellow-billed Needletail is 61-71 cm in length. Males weigh 635 g, and females 535 g. The head and neck are pale brown with fine, mottled feathers; the throat is pale yellow; the body is smooth brown with prominent dark brown feathers along the wings and upper body, centered on the chest. The face is pale, the belly is brown, the long, pointed tail is prominent, the upperwings are greyish-brown, the greater coverts are pale yellow, the secondary flight feathers are dark green, and the bill is bright yellow with a black tip.
Detailed introduction
The Yellow-billed Pintail (scientific name: Anas georgica) has two subspecies.
Yellow-billed Needletailed Ducks prefer to live in flocks during winter, mostly inhabiting the grassy areas of marshes near water. They mainly float on the water's surface, foraging underwater, primarily feeding on plants, but sometimes also consuming animal matter. Their toes are webbed, but they rarely dive; when swimming, their tails remain above water. They are adept at foraging, playing, and courtship in the water. They are clean animals, frequently preening their feathers both in the water and on land. They look after each other when sleeping or resting, with males often remaining alert. Their diet consists mainly of roots, seeds, leaves, berries, and rice from marshes and lakes, but they also eat invertebrates and arthropods.
The Yellow-billed Needletailed Duck breeds from April to June. It builds a bowl-shaped nest using plant stems, positioned above nearby water and hidden among aquatic plants. Each nest contains 4 to 10 eggs, with incubation lasting 21 to 25 days. The chicks leave the nest at 49 days old and are usually incubated solely by the female. After hatching, the female continues to care for the chicks, who follow her as they forage.
Listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Birds, 2009 ver 3.1.
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