PINTAIL 
317 
Off the coast of Central America many specimens were seen on Clipperton Island during the 
second half of November (Beck, 1907). 
Passage Area 
The passage area comprises, of course, the region between the breeding and the wintering territory; 
and over much of the southern breeding, and the northern wintering ranges the species is chiefly a 
bird of passage. In America some migrants pass over a large section of the country that is well 
outside the summer and winter home, particularly in the autumn flight. This includes much of 
eastern Canada, New York, New England, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Over most of this 
region they are only autumn stragglers. 
In the Old World the passage area is roughly 20° of latitude in width, but in western Europe the 
breeding and the wintering areas greatly overlap, while in central Asia they are widely separated, 
where rigorous winters show their effect. 
Migration 
Some work has been done with banded Pintails by Mortensen in Denmark and also under the aus- 
pices of the Helgoland Ornithological Station with Sylt as a base. Results show that these ducks 
migrate as individuals much farther than Mallard and Teal, and that migrants visit the same 
spot year after year. “Repeat” records in the decoys of Fanb demonstrate this. It appears that 
the young birds have a tendency to return to their birthplace. American banding work will also be 
mentioned. As regards dates of migration the remarkable thing about the Pintail is the early start 
for the north in spring. So many start north in February that it becomes difficult, when records are 
meager, to determine whether specimens were wintering or migrating, since the birds frequently 
linger in central Europe for a month or even longer before continuing on their journey. In southern 
Europe, as in Dalmatia, Tyrol and also Portugal, there are few birds to be seen after the end of 
February ; the average date of arrival in Hungary for fifteen years was March 7, but in north-central 
Europe they linger in considerable numbers until late April and even early May. The same applies 
to various localities in northern Africa where the species is not infrequently found as late as late 
April, a situation that gives rise to the unanswered question, “Where do these birds breed?” In 
Asia the same conditions obtain. According to Hume most of the birds leave India early in March, 
but some linger in the North, and in Kashmir until April. On the other hand Prjevalski found this 
species to be the commonest in the enormous fiocks of ducks which passed east-northeast over Lob- 
nor, central Asia, in early February. He tells us that they appear on the Zaidam, February 18, on 
the Kuku-nor in early March and in the Hoang-ho valley and Lake Hanka in late March and early 
April. In extreme northern East Siberia they arrived at Gichiga May 8, and at the mouth of the 
Kolyma on May 22. These facts show how long the species takes, as a whole, to make the full journey, 
although this, of course, does not necessarily apply to the individual. The same thing is illustrated 
by the fact that in Europe the birds do not appear on the Kola Peninsula until early June. 
Hantzsch (1905) states that the first birds arrive in Iceland on April 23. 
In America the migration is equally early, as is shown by Cooke’s (1906) data, many of the dates 
being averages for a number of years. A selection from these shows that Pintails arrive in Indiana 
February 21, in Illinois February 26, in Iowa February 18, in Nebraska February 23. Much earlier 
dates, even in late January, are common (Howell, 1911). In the East they appear in western 
Pennsylvania March 11, New York March 25, southern Ontario April 18, Montreal April 23, Prince 
Edward Island April 24. In the Middle West the birds travel north faster, reaching South Dakota 
March 8, North Dakota April 3, Manitoba April 8, Saskatchewan April 10, Great Slave Lake May 
1, Fort Confidence May 22. Farther west some dates are: Montana April 1, Alberta April 7, St. 
Michael’s, Alaska, May 1, Point Barrow June 18 (1882). 
The autumn migration of this species is also early. Some of the young birds start out as early as 
