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-- 2000 Season Summary -- 2001 Season Summary -- 2002 Season Summary -- 2003 Season Summary -- Related Links -- |
Pintails: Threats and Conservation |
Predators, primarily red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and farming operations, primarily
spring cultivation, destroy many thousands of pintail nests annually; farming has also
greatly reduced the amount of quality nesting cover available. Pintails in winter
habitats are threatened by loss of wetlands, water shortages, changes in agricultural
economies, pollution and contamination, disease losses, and urbanization. Periods of
extended drought in Canadian and U.S. Prairie nesting regions have caused dramatic
population declines, usually followed by periods of recovery. Over the long term,
however, the continental breeding population of pintails has
declined markedly from 6-10 million birds in the 1950s and 1970s to about 3 million in
1999. However, new conservation measures, such as habitat restoration and enhancement
of agricultural lands under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, as well as
prudent hunting regulations, suggest that Northern Pintails should have a secure future
in North America.
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