Tundra Swan: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Ducks, Geese and Swans · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Each Bewick's swan, a type of tundra swan, has its own bill pattern. Scientists sketch every bill and even give the swans names.
2. Tundra swans are white, but those living on lakes rich in iron, like bog lakes, can end up with a golden or rusty head and neck.
3. They nest in cold regions, so the cygnets grow fast. Whistling swan chicks fly at 60 to 75 days, twice as fast as young mute swans.
4. Despite the name "whistling swan", its calls on the ground are not whistles. It gives high-pitched honks that sound like a goose.
5. On migration, these swans fly in a V and can reach heights of 8 km, according to National Geographic.

The quiz

1. How do scientists tell individual Bewick's swans apart?

• By the colour of their eyes
• By the pattern on their bill (correct)
• By the number of their toes
• By the length of their tail

Every Bewick's swan has a unique bill pattern, which scientists draw.

2. What can give a tundra swan a golden or rusty head and neck?

• Eating ripe berries
• Rolling in red sand
• Living on water rich in iron (correct)
• Getting older

Swans on iron-rich waters, such as bog lakes, take on that colour.

3. How fast do whistling swan cygnets learn to fly, compared with mute swans?

• Twice as fast (correct)
• At the same speed
• Twice as slowly
• Three times as slowly

Nesting in cold regions, they fledge in 60 to 75 days, twice as fast as mute swans.

4. What do the whistling swan's calls on the ground sound like?

• A clear whistle
• A deep hoot
• A horn-like trumpet
• High-pitched honks, like a goose (correct)

Its calls are high-pitched honks, not whistles, despite its name.

5. According to National Geographic, how high can migrating tundra swans fly?

• 80 m
• 800 m
• 8 km (correct)
• 20 km

They can fly at heights of 8 km, in a V formation.

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