Page 94 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WILDFOWL
Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae Species Cygnus columbianus
Bewick’s Swan rounded yellow
bill patch falls pale bill with
dark tip
short of nostrils
ADULT rounded head concave bill
fairly thick
neck
all-white
IN FLIGHT tightly closed plumage
wings dull greyish
dark legs, body
rarely
yellow short,
square
tail
IMMATURE
ADULT

FLIGHT: direct, strong; regular wingbeats, with
simple quiet whistle from feathers at close range, no
loud, throbbing sound.
he smallest of the swans, Bewick’s Swan is
Ttypically rather stocky, although it can look
surprisingly thin-necked at times. Unlike the Mute
Swan, this is a thoroughly wild swan, although in
certain places where it is fed in winter, it has become
much more approachable. It is a very vocal bird,
especially in flocks, its conversational chorus often
penetrating the winter gloom over long distances.
VOICE Loud, bugling notes, less strident or MIXED FLOCK
trumpeting than Whooper Swan; often soft, Bewick’s Swans, mixed with other wildfowl, including Mute and
conversational chorus from flocks. Whooper Swans, can be watched closely from hides at several reserves.
NESTING Pile of grass stems and similar vegetation Elsewhere they are shy and wild.
at edge of pool in tundra; 3–5 eggs; 1 brood;
May–June.
FEEDING Often grazes on grass or cereal crops, or eats
root crops in ploughed fields; feeds less often in water.
REMARK Subspecies C. c. columbianus (North
America, very rare in Europe) has tiny yellow spot
on black bill.
SIMILAR SPECIES
OCCURRENCE
WHOOPER SWAN longer bill, Breeds in N Siberia. In winter, moves
see p.91 more yellow orange
on bill to lowlands of W Europe, mostly
agricultural land, usually in
traditional areas, occupied year after
YELLOW BILL year. In some places, concentrates
larger Any swan with yellow on the base on reserves where it is fed.
of the bill will be a wild migrant to
MUTE SWAN western Europe: a Bewick’s or a Seen in the UK
larger
see p.90 JF M A M J JA S ON D
Whooper Swan.
Length 1.15–1.27m (3 3 ⁄4 –4 1 ⁄4ft) Wingspan 1.8–2.1m (6–7ft) Weight 5–6.5kg (11–14 1 ⁄4lb)
Social Flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Localized
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