Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus) | Species | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 (1/1000th sec at f8. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)  (1/1000th sec at f8. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings) DescriptionL: 115 - 127cm; WS: 170 - 195cm The Bewick's Swan has more black on its bill than Mutes and Whoopers, and is considerably smaller and more like a goose in shape. It breeds on far north-east tundras by the Arctic Ocean and winters in north-west Europe. In the British Isles it is found mainly in eastern England, around the Severn estuary and in Lancashire with concentrations at the Ouse and Nene Washes (Cambridgeshire), Martin Mere (Lancashire) and Slimbridge (Gloucestershire). About 8000 birds spend the winter here. Bewick's Swans are quite vocal, with yapping or honking calls. Its conservation status is amber, as it is increasingly threatened by loss of habitat and man's activities. Sightings
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||