Pin the tail on the duck

These three Pintail ( 2 male and 1 female ) have been present at Maxey GP for the past couple of weeks and a starting to show signs of courtship behaviour.

The male Pintail is a stunning bird with a chocolate brown head, a finely barred grey body with long cream and black drooping back feathers. The tail is black and white with two greatly elongated black feathers, giving its `pin tail`. The female has a shorter tail and, as with most female ducks, is a mottled brown, although can be told apart by being slighly paler and greyer with a slender grey bill.

They are a rare breeding bird in Britain, with fewer than 40 pairs, although 28,000 individuals spend the winter on our shores.