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Bewick's Swan Cygnus columbianus   [Ord, 1815]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae
BTO Codes: BS , BEWSW EURING No: 1530
Number in Britain: 8100 birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Vulnerable
Global: Least Concern
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Status in UK: (A)  Winter Visitor
Subspecies: bewickii (W), columbianus (V) recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 121 cm Wingspan: 196 cm Weight: M: 6.4 kg   F: 5.3 kg    
Scientific name from: L.: cygnus=the swan (from Gr.: kuknos) and after the Columbia river (western US)
World Distribution: BREEDS: tundra in n Eurasia & n North America, WINTERS: south to c Europe & Japan, s Canada & US
Habitat: Lakes, ponds & rivers, also estuaries on migration
Diet: Plant material (e.g. tubers, shoots, leaves) in water or flooded pasture
TitBit: One Bewick's Swan was counted to have 25,216 feathers, its dense feathering providing excellent insulation, and the pattern of yellow on the bill can be used to identify individuals  
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Population and Distribution
Population Trend: No population trend available
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Help with the New Atlas)   
British Population Size:
    Winter: 8070 individuals in 1994-99
    First Record: 1824 [Fossil evidence from Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: Unavailable
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(I), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Wetland Bird Survey Alerts
Waterbird Review Series
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Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 107 x 68 mm Egg Weight: 280.0 g (of which 12 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 0
Clutch Size: 3 - 5 eggs
Incubation: 29 - 30 days by the: Female
Fledging: 40 - 45 days as: Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Does not breed in Britain, or too few Nest Records
Number of Broods: 1

Number Ringed: 25
Adult Survival: 0.822 Juvenile Survival: 0.66 (to age 2 )
Age at First Breeding: 4 years Typical Lifespan: 9 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 20yr3m
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Biometrics
Ring Size: M*
Wing Length Adult: 508.7 ± 20.6 Range 483 - 549 mm, N =53
Juvenile: Insufficient Data.
Male: 518.7 ± 21.0 485 - 549 mm, N =22
Female: 497.3 ± 13.8 473 - 518 mm, N =24
Weight Adult: 5.89 ± 0.78 Range 4.60 - 7.40 kg , N =56
Juvenile: Insufficient Data.
Male: 6.27 ± 0.83 5.00 - 7.40 kg , N =22
Female: 5.67 ± 0.63 . 4.60 - 6.40 kg , N =24
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
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Other Names
Tundra/Whistling Swan
Gaelic: Eala-bheag Welsh: Alarch Bewick
Danish: Pibesvane Dutch: Kleine zwaan
Finnish: Pikkujoutsen French: Cygne siffleur
German: Zwergschwan Hungarian: Kis hattyú
Icelandic: Dvergsvanur Irish: Eala Bewick
Italian: Cigno minore Norwegian: Dvergsvane
Polish: Labedz czarnodzioby Portuguese: Cisne-pequeno
Spanish: Cisne silbón Swedish: Mindre sĺngsvan
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For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Rees, E. 2006 Bewick's Swan Poyser, London [598.484 REE]
   Rees, E. et al. 1997 BWP Update 1:63-74
   Kear, J 2005 Ducks, geese and swans Oxford University Press [598.48 KEA]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005
Find more papers on Google Scholar
Find more papers on Scirus

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Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.21, Jun 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

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