Species-Specific Management (SSM)

Pintail

The pintail duck (Anas acuta) is becoming an uncommon sight on Virginia's waters. Pictures here are from Ducks Unlimited (California,2000). A tasty and challenging game duck, the pintail is extremely popular with hunters and a bird of great esthetic value. Primary management efforts should concentrate on breeding grounds in the northern U.S. and Canada. However, important strides can be made on wintering grounds and flyways. A concerted effort among managers in many areas will be necessary to produce a thriving pintail population.

Breeding Grounds Management

1. Identify, protect, and/or enhance current breeding grounds: a. fence around nesting areas, b. plant native species for cover
2. Create wetlands. If necessary, divert water from outside sources such as agricultural irrigation systems to suitable areas
3. Provide incentives to private landowners for sound management such as:
   • protecting wetlands and potholes by fencing from cattle damage,
   • planting native wetland species and winter wheat around potholes for early spring forage,
   • reducing herbicide and insecticide use,
   • practicing minimum tillage methods
4. Avoid entering nesting areas with farm equipment during the nesting season
5. Avoid breading the ground near potholes and ponds to prevent disturbance of natural wetland species
6. Create and enforce local and state ordinances for wetland conservation
7. Restrict public access to breeding grounds during the breeding season
8. Create wetlands management guidelines for private leasing of public lands
9. Burn marshes in winter to increase spring vegetation density and to remove unwanted species that typically occur later.
10. Consider impacts of beaver activity:
    • create wetlands by relocating beaver from problem areas to suitable woodlands,
    • where necessary, lower water levels by trapping and removing beaver
11. Redesign drainage and flood control barriers on agricultural lands to provide a more constant water source to wetland vegetation:
    • encourage spikerush growth in marshy areas with shallow standing water,
    • encourage growth of submerged aquatic vegetation, such as widgeon grass and eel grass
    • decrease turbidity to allow increased sunlight penetration,
    • reduce competitive algal forms by decreasing phosphorous levels from fertilizers

Wintering Grounds Management

1. Encourage development of suitable feeding areas on migration routes:
   • create refuges through cost sharing programs between federal or state agencies and conservation groups,
   • create feeding areas using funds from agencies needing to satisfy mitigation requirements
2. Reduce pollution from point and non-point sources impacting the area.
3. Plant or encourage winter forage such as berries, grain stubble, and aquatic plants.
4. Improve mitigation efforts to compensate for loss of wetlands due to development.

People Management

1. Stimulate interest in the species by educating the public on natural history and conservation.
2. Encourage participation in management efforts by membership in local and national conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited.
3. Create a computer information system for quick wetland classification:
   • maintain records of pintail sightings to indicate use of habitat types,
   • maintain files on status of wetland areas to aid in selecting proper management techniques

A contribution by Scott E. Leiffer and Robin L. Taylor (1993), Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0321

This Web site is maintained by R. H. Giles, Jr.
Last revision January 17, 2000.