Eaton's Pintail

Eaton's pintail (''Anas eatoni'') is a dabbling duck of the genus ''Anas''. It is also known as the southern pintail. The species is restricted to the island groups of Kerguelen and Crozet in the southern Indian Ocean. It resembles a small female northern pintail. It was named after the English explorer and naturalist Alfred Edwin Eaton. It is threatened by introduced species, particularly feral cats, which prey on it, particularly during the post-breeding molt, when it is unable to fly.E Buffard: ''Anti-predator behaviour of flightless Kerguelen Pintail Anas eatoni moulting in a cave on the Kerguelen archipelago''
/ref>

Taxonomy

While previously considered a subspecies of northern pintail, the Eaton’s pintail is much smaller (one female Eaton’s pintail weighed 450 g, while the mean mass of female northern pintails is 871 g) and the male Eaton's pintail is female-like in patterning, unlike the sexually dimorphic northern pintail.del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Eaton's Pintail (Anas eatoni), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eatpin1.01.

The species was described by Richard Bowdler Sharpe based on specimens collected by Alfred Edwin Eaton. In addition to Eaton’s specimens, Sharpe also noted that earlier specimens were collected during the Ross expedition.

There are two subspecies: ''A. eatoni eatoni'' (Kerguelen pintail) and ''A. eatoni drygalskii'' (Crozet pintail).

Description

The Eaton’s pintail is a small duck, 35-45 cm in length, with a 65-70 cm wingspan and weighing 430-502 g in males and 400-500 g in females. Its adult male and female plumage is similarly brownish overall with cinnamon underparts, though the two sexes can be separated by the color of the speculum (green in males and brown in females) and the longer central retrices in males. Juveniles are similar to adults in plumage, but more streaked below.

Distribution and Habitat

The Eaton’s pintail is found exclusively on Kerguelen and Crozet Islands, though it has appeared as a vagrant on the nearby Prince Edward Islands. It summers on small lakes, pools, marshes, and other freshwater wetlands, then migrates down to coastal bays in the winter when most freshwater bodies freeze over.

Behavior

The Eaton’s pintail's diet mostly consists of small crustaceans and other invertebrates, but will also forage on seeds. It occasionally visits southern elephant seal wallows to feed.

It breeds from November to March. Its nest is built in tussock or grass, and lined with moss and down.

This pintail’s vocalization is similar to the northern pintail’s: a soft proop-proop whistle in males and a quack in females, but higher-pitched and quieter.

The brown skua is a primary predator of the Eaton’s pintail, especially during its post-breeding molt when it is flightless. During this period, Eaton’s pintails will often shelter themselves in dense vegetation or caves.

Status

Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The current population appears stable, though they are threatened by introduced cats and rats. An introduction attempt on ÃŽle Amsterdam was unsuccessful, with no sightings since 1970.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet

{{Taxonbar, from=Q937201

Eaton's pintail
Birds of the Indian Ocean
Birds of subantarctic islands
Fauna of the Crozet Islands
Fauna of the Kerguelen Islands
Eaton's pintail
Eaton's pintail
Endemic birds of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands