Whooper Swan
The Whooper Swan is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the Trumpeter Swan which is found in north America.
The Whooper Swan is similar in appearance to the Bewick's Swan but it is larger and heavier and has a more angular head shape and a more variable bill pattern that always shows more yellow than black (Bewick's Swans show more black than yellow). The Whooper Swan is very noisy and it has a deep honking call. Despite its size, the Whooper Swan is a powerful flyer.
The Whooper Swan can migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles to its wintering sites in western and southern Europe and eastern Asia. It breeds in subarctic Eurasia (further south than the Bewick’s Swan) in the taiga zone. It is a rare breeder in northern Scotland, particularly in Orkney. A handful of pairs have also bred in Ireland in recent years. Icelandic breeders overwinter in the UK and Ireland, especially in the wildfowl nature reserves of the RSPB and WWT.
The Whooper Swan requires large areas of water to live in, especially when they are still growing, because their body weight can not be supported by their legs for extended periods of time. It spends much of its time swimming, straining the water for food or eating plants that grow on the bottom.
The Whooper Swan pairs for life and the cygnets stay with their parents all winter when they are sometimes joined by offspring from previous years. The preferred breeding habitat is wetland. Both the male and female help build the nest and the male will stand guard over the nest while the female incubates.
The Whooper Swan is the national bird of Finland.
Date: 9th December 2013
Location: Welney WWT reserve, Norfolk
The Whooper Swan is similar in appearance to the Bewick's Swan but it is larger and heavier and has a more angular head shape and a more variable bill pattern that always shows more yellow than black (Bewick's Swans show more black than yellow). The Whooper Swan is very noisy and it has a deep honking call. Despite its size, the Whooper Swan is a powerful flyer.
The Whooper Swan can migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles to its wintering sites in western and southern Europe and eastern Asia. It breeds in subarctic Eurasia (further south than the Bewick’s Swan) in the taiga zone. It is a rare breeder in northern Scotland, particularly in Orkney. A handful of pairs have also bred in Ireland in recent years. Icelandic breeders overwinter in the UK and Ireland, especially in the wildfowl nature reserves of the RSPB and WWT.
The Whooper Swan requires large areas of water to live in, especially when they are still growing, because their body weight can not be supported by their legs for extended periods of time. It spends much of its time swimming, straining the water for food or eating plants that grow on the bottom.
The Whooper Swan pairs for life and the cygnets stay with their parents all winter when they are sometimes joined by offspring from previous years. The preferred breeding habitat is wetland. Both the male and female help build the nest and the male will stand guard over the nest while the female incubates.
The Whooper Swan is the national bird of Finland.
Date: 9th December 2013
Location: Welney WWT reserve, Norfolk
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Also in: Whooper and Bewick's Swans
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