The Pintail Action Group coordinate research, conservation and management actions for Northern Pintail in North America. This population remains a source of concern due to their ongoing low population estimate. Whilst the understanding of factors limiting population growth – low reproductive success of prairie-nesting Pintails being a noteworthy reason – has improved, probably the greatest conservation challenge is implementing (and evaluating) the actions needed to improve the productive capacity of prairie landscapes.
Their latest newsletter reports on progress with a number of field- and model-based studies conducted since 2012, including:
- Banding efforts in wintering and breeding areas
- Influences on habitat selection and nest survival in the prairie potholes
- Population dynamics and harvesting
The newsletter can be downloaded here. The next meeting of the PAG will take place at the North American Duck Symposium in Annapolis in February 2016.