Tundra Swan

The Tundra Swan breeds across the high Arctic tundra of North America and Eurasia (where it is sometimes called the Bewick's Swan) and migrates long distances to winter on coastal bays, estuaries, and inland lakes at temperate latitudes. Formerly known as the Whistling Swan in North America for its call, it is smaller overall than the Trumpeter Swan.

Body and flight feathers are pure white, closely resembling those of the Trumpeter Swan but averaging smaller and less robust, matching this species' more compact frame. The head is more rounded than the Trumpeter's. Many, though not all, individuals show a small yellow spot on the black facial skin near the base of the bill—a skin feature rather than a feather trait, but a useful clue in the field when paired with body size and head shape.

Sexes are alike. Cygnets are grayish, whitening gradually over their first year or two. Molt follows the typical swan pattern, with a flightless period after breeding.

Breeds on wet Arctic tundra across northern North America and Eurasia. Winters on coastal bays, estuaries, and large inland lakes at temperate latitudes, including both coasts of North America and parts of eastern Asia and western Europe for the Eurasian populations.

Feeds by grazing on land and dabbling or upending for aquatic vegetation and waste grain, often in large flocks on wintering grounds. Nests on the ground near tundra pools. Gives a higher-pitched, more musical whistling or yodeling call than the deeper trumpeting of the Trumpeter Swan, the source of its historical name.