A white-cheeked pintail with a red-based bill swimming. — Photo: christoph_moning, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

White-cheeked Pintail

Anas bahamensis

A quiet tropical duck with bright white cheeks and a red-based bill that lives in saltwater marshes and lagoons.

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About the White-cheeked Pintail

White-cheeked pintails are 15 to 20 inches long and weigh about 1 to 1.5 pounds. They have white cheeks, a red patch at the base of a blue-gray bill and spotted brown bodies. They live year-round in the Caribbean, northern South America, the Galápagos and sometimes Florida, in swamps, marshes, lagoons and mangroves. They eat water plants, seeds, algae and grasses.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Anas bahamensis^[1]
Size: 15 to 20 inches long; 21- to 26-inch wingspan.^[1]
Weight: About 1 to 1.5 pounds.^[1]
Diet: Water plants, seeds, algae and grasses, plus some insect larvae.^[1]
Habitat: Saltwater swamps, marshes, lagoons and mangroves.^[1]
Where it lives: The Caribbean, northern South America, the Galápagos and sometimes Florida.^[1]
Group life: Small flocks of 10 to 12, sometimes hundreds. Active during the day.^[1]
Babies: 5 to 12 eggs, incubated for about 26 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024).^[2]

Fun facts

Females are slightly larger than males.^[1]
A bright green patch on the wing shows when it flies.^[1]
White-cheeked pintails are quieter than most ducks.^[1]

Vocabulary

dabbling duck: A duck that feeds at the water's surface, often tipping its head down and tail up.
lagoon: A shallow body of salt water separated from the sea.
precocial: Born or hatched able to move around and feed itself soon after.
diurnal: Active mainly during the day.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Bird HouseSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “White-cheeked pintail.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/white-cheeked-pintail (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Anas bahamensis (White-cheeked Pintail).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680287/265001129 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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