Ana acuta
Order Anseriformes
Family Anatidae
Subfamily Anatinae
♂ Adult male.— Head, throat, and part of fore neck brown; hind neck black, separated from fore neck by a white stripe; back gray, with narrow wavy black lines; speculum bronze, with greenish reflections, bordered in front with cinnamon; long black feathers, edged with white, extend down the wing; middle tail-feathers long and black; lower fore neck, breast, and belly white; feathers under tail black; bill and feet slate.
♀ Adult female.— Top of head and hind neck brown; back brown, the feathers edged with whitish; under parts whitish, spotted with dusky, darkest on neck; bill and feet slate.
♂ Immature male.— Similar to female, but with speculum as in adult male.
The Pintail is a migrant through New York and New England, common off Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, but rare in most of New England. It occurs in Plymouth County, Mass., from the end of September through October, and again in April; in the Hudson Valley it is found till December, and off Long Island it occasionally winters. The adult male may be easily recognized by his long black tail-feathers, which are cocked up as he swims, but these are often not yet grown in the autumn. The male may, however, be identified by the long slender neck and by the pure white under parts.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)