Bahama pintail / White-cheeked pintail

Anas bahamensis

Bahamapijlstaart / Bahama ente / Pilet de Bahamas

The Bahama pintail also known as the white-cheeked pintail or summer duck, is a species of dabbling duck. It was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 under its current scientific name.

It is found in the Caribbean, South America, and the Galápagos Islands. It occurs on waters with some salinity, such as brackish lakes, estuaries and mangrove swamps. There are three subspecies:

• A. b. bahamensis—lesser Bahama pintail - in the Caribbean, and a vagrant to southern Florida
• A. b. rubirostris—greater Bahama pintail - in South America; it may be partly migratory, breeding in Argentina and wintering further north.
  
• A. b. galapagensis—Galapagos pintail - in the Galapagos

Like many southern ducks, the sexes are similar. It is mainly brown with white cheeks and a red-based grey bill (young birds lack the pink). It cannot be confused with any other duck in its range.

The Bahama pintail feeds on aquatic plants and small creatures obtained by dabbling. The nest is on the ground under vegetation and near water.

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: a pair of Bahama pintail, male right

Above: close-up

Above: male Bahama pintail

Above: in aviculture occur mutations like leucistic (in front) and blueish (in back)

Above: a flock of Bahama pintails in aviculture

Above: a flock of Bahama pintail in aviculture

Above: a flock of Bahama pintail in aviculture