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| SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON NAME: |
tundra swan, whistling swan, Bewick's swan |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Anseriformes |
| FAMILY: |
Anatidae |
| GENUS SPECIES: |
Cygnus columbianus
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are 2 recognized subspecies of tundra swan: |
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C. c. bewickii |
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C. c. columbianus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Tundra swans are completely white, with the exception of their black bill, legs, and face. The have a long, straight neck. Some individuals may have a yellow spot in front of their eyes. Their head is rounded and the bill is slightly curved down on the top edge. |
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| SIZE: |
Length = 120-150 cm (3.9-4.9 ft.)
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Wingspan = 168 cm (5.5 ft.)
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| WEIGHT: |
3.4-9.6 kg (7.5-21.16 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Leaves, roots, rhizomes, grasses, and stems of aquatic plants; grain and potatoes in winter |
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| INCUBATION: |
29-32 days |
| CLUTCH SIZE |
3-5 eggs |
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| SEXUAL MATURITY: |
3-4 years |
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| RANGE: |
Summer = western Alaska to northern Quebec and Nunavut; eastern Siberia.
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| Winter = Pacific coast of North America from southern British Columbia to southern California. Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to South Carolina. |
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| HABITAT: |
Summer = shallow pools, lakes, and rivers of the arctic tundra. |
| Winter = marshes, grasses, or fields in coastal regions. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
300,000 individuals |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Least concern |
| CITES |
Appendix II |
| USFWS |
Not listed |
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| 1. |
Tundra swans build bowl-shaped nests using grasses, sedges, lichens, moss and a little bit of down. |
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| 2. |
During the summer breeding season, tundra swans sleep on land. In the winter migratory season, tundra swans sleep on water. |
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| 3. |
Tundra swans are almost always found in large flocks. The exception is when the are breeding, and flocks are broken up for nesting purposes. |
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| Tundra swans are not currently in danger of extinction. In northwestern Europe, illegal hunting occurs. In North America, hunting is the main cause of mortality accounting for 4,000 birds a year. |
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| BirdLife International (2007) Species factsheet: Cygnus columbianus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 1/2/2008 |
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Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2003
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tundra_Swan_dtl.html |
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del Hoyo, J., A. Elliot, et al. Handbook of the Birds of the World: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona, Lynx Edicions. 1992. |
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