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Tundra Swan

Tundra Swan

Cygnus columbianus

Identify the Tundra Swan by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.

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The Tundra Swan is the smallest Holarctic swan, breeding on Arctic tundra and wintering in north-western Europe, East Asia and North America. It is white with black feet and a mostly black bill with a small yellow patch. Two forms – Bewick's Swan in Eurasia and the Whistling Swan in North America – are usually treated as subspecies. The European population has declined.

Did you know?

  • Tundra Swans have been recorded migrating at altitudes of up to about 8 km.
  • Each Bewick's Swan's bill pattern is unique, allowing researchers to recognise individuals.

Voice

Sound

About the species

Identification

Smaller and daintier than Whooper Swan, with a shorter neck. The bill is mostly black, with less yellow than in Whooper Swan, where the yellow forms a wedge reaching past the nostril. The trumpeting call is more barking and nasal. Best separated by the extensive black on the bill, shorter neck and voice.

Family

Anatidae

Size

Very large (swan)

Colours

white, yellow, black

About the habitat

Breeds on Arctic tundra near shallow lakes, pools and slow rivers; on migration and in winter large lakes, estuaries, flooded fields and wet grasslands.

Diet

In summer stems, seeds and roots of aquatic plants, sedges and pondweeds; in winter often grazes on grass and farm crops such as spilled grain and potatoes.

Behaviour

Highly migratory, moving in family parties and flocks. Pairs usually form at 2–3 years of age and last for life. On the tundra it builds a mound nest near water; the female incubates while the male guards, and the cygnets fledge in about six weeks. Families stay together through the first winter. Its calls are high, musical, goose-like honks.

Sources

Photo: Maga-chan, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cygnus bewickii 01.jpg

Sound: Vulcano, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cigne_petit.ogg

Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions + Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0; Wikipedia: CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tundra_swan

See also