Cygnus columbianus
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Mass
~6 kg
Habitat
Wetlands and marshes
Diet
Aquatic plants
How to recognize it
The tundra swan has a calm, restrained presence, with a clean white shape and a shorter neck that makes it stand out as a swan that looks slightly compact. It feels quieter and more self-contained on its own, but a flock becomes much livelier.
Its voice is high and ringing, and groups get especially noisy while feeding or when one arrives or leaves. It feeds by dipping its head under water or tipping up while swimming, and later in the year it also takes spilled grain and crop remains from fields.
It breeds in the tundra and subarctic, using shallow pools, lakes, and rivers. In winter it moves to grassland, marshland, and coasts, and may also stop in open fields after harvest to feed.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
The tundra swan has a calm, restrained presence, with a clean white shape and a shorter neck that makes it stand out as a swan that looks slightly compact. It feels quieter and more self-contained on its own, but a flock becomes much livelier.
Its voice is high and ringing, and groups get especially noisy while feeding or when one arrives or leaves. It feeds by dipping its head under water or tipping up while swimming, and later in the year it also takes spilled grain and crop remains from fields.
It breeds in the tundra and subarctic, using shallow pools, lakes, and rivers. In winter it moves to grassland, marshland, and coasts, and may also stop in open fields after harvest to feed.
