Pintail vs. Widgeon

[SilkWWU]

How do you tell the differences while in flight?

[Intruder]

Pintail is much longer (and the tail is distinctive) and the white wing plates on the widgeon are real easy to pick out.

[SpencerUSMC]

Really?  I hope you aren't saying you have trouble with this.  i have always found that to be very easy to pick the two apart.

[Professor Chaos]

those hen pintails look just like gadwall... 

[Professor Chaos]

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/duckdist/index.htm

check this out, it may help.
to be honest i dont know for sure what i look at to distinguish the two these days, it is just second nature at this point.  the length of the body is a good key though.

[singleshot12]

Anybody ever see a Spigeon?

[stlhdr1]

Anybody ever see a Spigeon?

You saying sprig/wigeon?  A friend of mine shot a mix of a mallard and pintail 2 years ago....  It had a green head and odd chest coloration but the kicker was the "pin" tail...  He never even mounted the bird let alone take pictures of it......

Keith

[KwackWacker]

should'nt be hard to tell at all  .....but the long neck usually stands out at "Ozone" distances....plus the bird is much bigger......a hen pin doesnt look much like a gad too me but.......................

[spur_ride]

the drakes should be pretty easy to tell apart but in the early morning the hens can be difficult to tell apart