Eaton's Pintail

The Eaton's pintail is a small duck, 35-45 cm in length, with a 65-70 cm wingspan and weighing 430-502 g in males and 400-500 g in females. Its adult male and female plumage is similarly brownish overall with cinnamon underparts, though the two sexes can be separated by the color of the speculum (green in males and brown in females) and the longer central rectrices in males. Juveniles are similar to adults in plumage, but more streaked below.

The Eaton's pintail is found exclusively on Kerguelen and Crozet Islands, though it has appeared as a vagrant on the nearby Prince Edward Islands. It summers on small lakes, pools, marshes, and other freshwater wetlands, then migrates down to coastal bays in the winter when most freshwater bodies freeze over.

The Eaton's pintail's diet mostly consists of small crustaceans and other invertebrates, but will also forage on seeds. It occasionally visits southern elephant seal wallows to feed. It breeds from November to March. Its nest is built in tussock or grass, and lined with moss and down. This pintail's vocalization is similar to the northern pintail's: a soft proop-proop whistle in males and a quack in females, but higher-pitched and quieter. The brown skua is a primary predator of the Eaton's pintail, especially during its post-breeding molt when it is flightless. During this period, Eaton's pintails will often shelter themselves in dense vegetation or caves.