They can also forage by dipping their head underwater. They are common in winter in the wildfowl nature reserves of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. In North America, tundra swans are migratory birds consisting of two populations: the western population and the eastern population. [2][8], Tundra swans have high-pitched honking calls and sound similar to a black goose (Branta). Title Tundra Swan Range - CWHR B067 [ds1411] Publication date 2016-02-0100:00:00 Presentation formats digital map FGDC geospatial presentation format vector digital data Other citation details These are the same layers as appear in the CWHR System software. [2][8][9], C. c. columbianus breeds in the coastal plains of Alaska and Canada, leaving for winter quarters about October. [2][8], Note that color variations with more or less yellow, or pink instead of yellow or black, are not exceptional, especially in Bewick's swans, which very rarely may even have yellowish feet. Adults typically can stand their ground and displace foxes but occasionally the foxes are successful. Check out the "Circumpolar Distribution" to learn more. eBird data from 2005-2020. Occurrence. Species geographical distribution by countries. Should one partner die long before the other, the surviving bird often will not mate again for some years, or even for its entire life. Jankowski's Swan (aka Whistling Swan, Bewick's Swan, Alpheraky's Swan) The Eurasian form which migrates from Arctic Russia to western Europe and eastern Asia (China, Japan) in winter. Small or avian predators usually elicit either an aggressive response or the behavior of sitting tight on nests while larger mammals, perhaps more dangerous to adults, usually elicit the response of leading the cygnets into deep waters and standing still until they pass. 1960. During a flight, their long neck is usually outstretched but when on land or water, the neck is held in an upright position. Whistling swans start leaving for the breeding grounds again by mid-March, and arrive by late May. C. columbianus is the smallest of the Holarctic swans, at 115–150 cm (45–59 in) in length, 168–211 cm (66–83 in) in wingspan and a weight range of 3.4–9.6 kg (7.5–21.2 lb). Nesting on Arctic tundra and migrating long distances to favored wintering areas, this native swan was less affected by human settlement than was the Trumpeter Swan. Sometimes the cob will use his wings to run faster and appear larger in order to scare away a predator[citation needed]. bog lakes), the head and neck plumage acquires a golden or rusty hue. [citation needed] According to National Geographic, when migrating these birds can fly at altitudes of 8 km (5.0 mi)[citation needed] in V formation. The eastern birds, apart from being larger, tend towards less yellow on the bill, perhaps indicating that gene flow across Beringia, while marginal, never entirely ceased. Vagrants have been recorded on the Bermudas, Cuba the Hawaiian Islands, Puerto Rico, and in England, Ireland, Japan, northeastern Siberia and Sweden. The fledglings stay with their parents for the first winter migration. Destruction of wetlands in the winter range has reduced former food sources, but the Tundra Swan has adapted by shifting its winter habitat to agricultural fields. An apparent case of hybridization between a Bewick's and a vagrant whistling swan has been reported from eastern Siberia. The flight call of the latter is a low and soft ringing bark, bow-wow...; the whistling swan gives a markedly high-pitched trisyllabic bark like wow-wow-wow in flight. Tundra Swan Range Maps. [6][7] In adult birds, the plumage of both subspecies is entirely white, with black feet, and a bill that is mostly black, with a thin salmon-pink streak running along the mouthline and – depending on the subspecies – more or less yellow in the proximal part. Downy young are silvery grey above and white below. On their northern breeding range, tundra swans eat a variety of plants, including sedges, pondweed, pendant grass, arrowleaf, and algae. Pens (females) are slightly smaller than cobs (males), but do not differ in appearance otherwise. 2020. eBird Status and Trends, Data Version: 2019; Released: 2020. The pen (female) lays and incubates a clutch of 2–7 (usually 3–5) eggs, watching for danger while sitting on the nest. Habitat: Tundra swans breeds near shallow pools, lakes and slow-flowing rivers with emergent vegetation and pondweeds connected to moist, low-lying sedge-grass or moss-lichen Arctic tundra. They consume seeds, stems, roots, and tubers. The other native swan, the trumpeter swan, is a rare visitor to the Bay region. They forage by dabbling on water and often in large flocks. Vagrants may occur south of the main wintering range in cold years and have been recorded from most European countries where the birds do not regularly winter, as well as Algeria, Iraq, Palestine, Libya, Nepal, NE Pakistan, and on the Marianas and Volcano Islands in the western Pacific.