Skip to content

Northern Pintail Breeding Estimate Was 2.0 Million, 48% Below the Long-Term Average

Five northern pintails in courtship flight over Llano Seco, California
Conservation · Population & status

The 2026 breeding-population estimate for northern pintail (Anas acuta) in the traditional North American survey area was 2.0 million birds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s annual waterfowl status report. The estimate did not differ clearly from 2.2 million in 2025, but remained 48% below the long-term average of 3.8 million.

The estimate comes from the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, conducted across major breeding regions in Canada and the United States. In the traditional survey area, aerial counts are corrected for birds missed by observers using ground counts on a subsample of survey segments and other visibility-correction methods.

Wetland conditions improved across much of the survey area in 2026. The combined May pond estimate for Prairie Canada and the north-central United States was 4.8 million, 14% above 2025 but still 9% below the long-term average.

The improved wetland conditions did not coincide with a clear year-to-year increase in northern pintails. The long-term deficit nevertheless remained substantial. These annual estimates form part of the information used to develop North American waterfowl harvest regulations.

Sources and image credit

  1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2026). Waterfowl population status, 2026.Primary annual status report published 1 September 2026. The northern pintail breeding estimate in the traditional survey area was 2.0 million, statistically similar to 2.2 million in 2025 and 48% below the long-term average of 3.8 million. The combined May pond estimate for Prairie Canada and the north-central United States was 4.8 million, 14% above 2025 but 9% below the long-term average.

Image: Four male and one female northern pintails in courtship flight at Llano Seco, California, USA, 9 November 2025. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from the original; representative North American species image. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Population & status

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Northern Pintail Anas acuta Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.