Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_northern_pintail
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
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About Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) is recorded as a winter visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Kauaʻi evidence
Bishop Museum island checklist (version 2, 2017) lists Kauaʻi status W: winter visitor. See original island table. A Hawaiʻi-level record is available, but the species needs a documented Kauaʻi observation before local ecological conclusions are drawn.
Occurrence evidence
bishop_island_checklist_2017
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Anas acuta
- Common names
- Northern Pintail
- Family
- Anatidae
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Kauaʻi documented: winter visitor (2017 island checklist)
- Origin
- Indigenous visitor
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Island occurrence supported by the 2017 checklist; abundance and current year presence are not established here
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Wetlands · Estuaries · Agricultural areas
- Food and resource needs
- Seeds and leafy parts of aquatic grasses plus aquatic invertebrates such as snails and beetles
- Reproduction
- Breeding on Kauaʻi is not established; seasonal resting and foraging habitat may be relevant.
- Shelter
- Shelter and structure within wetlands, estuaries, agricultural areas.
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Wetland habitat loss, development, pollution, habitat-modifying invasive plants, and avian disease
- Conservation actions
- Maintain shallow wetland and flooded-field foraging areas, preserve migration-season survey windows, and separate migrant-waterfowl use from Koloa Maoli breeding needs
- Monitoring
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
- Data gaps
- Update island status with dated contemporary records · Specific Kauaʻi habitat and abundance need local evidence
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Wintering Migrant August To Late March Or April
- Seasonal description
- Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) is recorded as a winter visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Sources and further reading
- https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/birds/koloa-mapu/
- https://hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii.gov/bird/northern-pintail/
- https://hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii.gov/birding_hotspot/kawai%CA%BBele-state-waterbird-sanctuary/
- https://hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii.gov/birding_hotspot/salt-pond-beach-park/
- https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/projects/waterbird-surveys/
- https://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph/SEHIlist.htm