Whilst at Jubail in November I located a Northern Pintail and managed to take a few photographs. This is not an easy bird to photograph in the Kingdom, as they are shy and nervous. The species is an uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor to the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. As their name implies, Northern Pintails breed throughout the northern reaches of Eurasia and North America. They migrate south, with some wintering in Dhahran or passing through on their way to Africa. The name Pintail comes from the tails of males in breeding plumage as these birds have elongated central tail feathers that extend up to ten centimetres beyond the rest of their tail giving them a pintail appearance. After breeding, it moults into a flecked grey-brown plumage, and appears similar to the female.
