Tundra Swan

Tundra Swan, adult

About the photographs

About the map

Play sound from this species

Tundra Swan, adult, July

Menu

1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

True to its name, the Tundra Swan breeds on the high tundra across the top of North America. It winters in large flocks along both coasts, and is frequently encountered during its migration across the continent.

Description

• Large, all-white waterfowl.
• Long, straight neck.
• Black bill and face.

• Size: 120-147 cm (47-58 in)
• Wingspan: 168 cm (66 in)
• Weight: 3800-10500 g (134.14-370.65 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, male slightly larger.

Sound

Call a goose-like honking.

Conservation Status

Common and may be increasing. As a game species, populations managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service.

Other Names

Cygne siffleur (French)
Cisne chiflador (Spanish)
Whistling Swan (English)

Cool Facts

• The whistling swan, the American race of the Tundra Swan, currently is considered the same species as the Eurasian race, the Bewick's swan. They were considered separate species in the past, distinguished by the large yellow patches on the face of the Bewick's swan.
• During the breeding season the Tundra Swan sleeps almost entirely on land, but in the winter it sleeps more often on water.

• Swan nests on the tundra are vulnerable to a host of predators, such as foxes, weasels, jaegers, and gulls. If the parents are present, they are able to defend the nest and nestlings from these threats. Wolves, people, and bears, however, are too big to fight, and most incubating swans leave their nests while these large predators are far away. By leaving quickly when large predators approach, the parents may make the nest harder to find.

• The Tundra Swan stays in flocks except when on a breeding territory. Although most swans spread out to breed, a large proportion of the population on the breeding grounds still can be found in flocks. These swans are not breeding, and may be young birds that have not yet bred, adult pairs whose breeding attempts failed, or adults that bred in the past but for some reason do not in that year.

Sources used to construct this page:

1. Bellrose, F. C. 1976. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA.
2. Limpert, R. J., and S. L. Earnst. 1994. Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus ). In The Birds of North America, No. 89 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.