White overall with black bill, legs and feet. Slightly smaller than Trumpeter Swan. The culmen curves upward toward the rounded forehead, unlike the straight profile of Trumpeter. When seen from the front, the feathering on the forehead forms a rounded border with the base of the bill (not pointed, as in Trumpeter). Highly variable patch of yellow skin at the lores ranges from completely absent to about the size of a large thumbprint with no yellow bridging across the top of the bill. Eurasian race (Bewick’s Swan) has much more yellow covering the base of the bill. Juvenile birds are pale gray, but acquire white plumage during their first winter. The bill is entirely pink at first, gradually darkening from the base outward.

Length: 119 (cm) Wingspan: 183 (cm)

Voice:

a plaintive ka-looo.

Habitat:

Nests near ponds on coastal tundra. Winters on shallow estuaries, lakes, marshes, and agricultural fields.

Behavior:

Family groups migrate and winter together. Roosts on water and often uses the same field or group of fields for feeding all season long.

Feeding:

Feeds on aquatic plants and waste grain. Long neck allows feeding at depths of up to one meter.