pintail

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a slender, long-necked dabbling duck whose central tail feathers form a narrow point, especially the northern pintail

   A male pintail lifted from the marsh, its long central tail feathers clearly visible.

2. 2
   noun

   any of several birds named for conspicuously elongated central tail feathers

   The field guide distinguishes the duck from other birds sometimes called a pintail.

A compound of pin + tail, referring to the long, narrow central tail feathers. The bird name is recorded from the eighteenth century and is used especially for the northern pintail duck.

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