Northern Pintail, Anas acuta, is a species of dabbling duck found in wetland, unvegetated or sparsely vegetated land, river and lake and marine inlet and transitional water ecosystems. It is a widespread breeder in much of northern and parts of central Europe. The species shows a preference for open lowland grassland, prairie or tundra habitats containing freshwater, brackish and saline wetlands with shallow water to facilitate dabbling. Wetland habitats include shallow freshwater marshes, small marshy lakes, slowflowing rivers and wet meadows, especially favouring ponds with low, dense marginal vegetation and wetlands interspersed with brushy thickets or copses. During the winter it also frequents large inland lakes, brackish coastal lagoons, brackish and saline marshes, shallow fresh or brackish estuaries, tidal flats and river deltas with adjacent agricultural land and scattered impoundments (European Red List 2015).

Anas acuta has a breeding population size of 8600-17400 pairs and a breeding range size of 370000 square kilometres in the EU27. The breeding population trend in the EU27 is Decreasing in the short term and Decreasing in the long term. Anas acuta has a winter population size of 94900-167000 individuals in the EU27. The winter population trend in the EU27 is Increasing in the short term and Increasing in the long term.

The EU population status of Anas acuta was assessed as Threatened, as the species meets one or more of the IUCN Red List criteria for threatened at the EU27 scale.