Any of us cannot but agree that the swan is one of the most beautiful, majestic and proud birds of all that exist on the whole planet. In addition, it is also the largest of the birds that live in Europe. Swans are divinely beautiful and graceful! Among them there are a variety of species, but each of them is magnificent and unique in its own way.
The article below will discuss one of the representatives of this species of birds - the tundra swan. This is a relatively small bird, in comparison with its relatives.
According to some documents and evidence, this family, which includes the small swan, appeared a long time ago - in the Miocene period. But this happened territorially, either in Europe or in the western region of Eurasia. These birds gradually took a fancy to the tundra, and then attracted the attention of biologists. But, even today, they are not well understood.
About how the tundra swan looks, about its habitats and habits, and much more is described in this article. But first, a brief overview of the species of swans.
general information
Before we present a detailed description of the tundra swan, we will briefly review the species of this graceful bird.
According to various sources, the number of species of these largest water birds varies from 6 to 7.
It:
- Mute swan. At the time of danger, he makes strange noises in the form of hissing. A distinctive feature is the presence of a very prominent bright orange-red beak. It lives near lakes, estuaries and ponds.
- Whooper Swan. During the mating season, they click loud noises. It features a bright beak of lemon yellow color. Habitats - ponds of the northern forests of Eurasia.
- Trumpeter Swan. Quite a rare bird (only 6, 000 pairs today). Habitats - a strip of the tundra of North America in large reservoirs. It resembles the outward appearance of a whooper swan, only the color of the beak is black.
- Tundra (small) swan. A distinctive feature is short paws. In this regard, when moving in water, it looks more elegant than on land, when short legs give it awkwardness when walking (a more detailed description of the bird is given below in the article).
- Black Swan. It stands out among other relatives by the neck. He has the longest one, therefore the bird reaches almost one and a half meter height. A very beautiful swan with black plumage with multiple interspersed white spots. Beak - bright red, glowing. Habitat - Australia (Tasmania Island).
- Black-necked swan. A pronounced distinctive feature is a slender black neck, and the body is covered with snow-white feathers. The gray beak has a red outgrowth.
In addition to their amazing beauty, they all have amazing fidelity - they have been living in one pair all their lives …
Tundra Swan: photos, description
This swan forms a separate species in the family Ducks (Anseriformes). The second name (small swan) is given to this bird due to the fact that among all its relatives it has the smallest size. In height, it reaches only one meter (sometimes a little more), and its weight is only not more than 7.5 kilograms. The weight of some of them is 3.5 kg.
Body length - 1-1.5 meters, wingspan - from 1.5 to 2 meters. Males weigh an average of 6.5 kg, females a little more than 5.5 kg. It should be noted that the eastern population is larger than the western one.
This bird has a 2-color beak - at the base it is yellow in color, and then (most) black. The plumage is white and the legs are dark. There is no sexual dimorphism between the female and the male.
Features, habits
Typical tundra swan nesting sites are open ponds. These birds love to swim, while they always keep their neck at a right angle.
The feathered tundra can’t dive, therefore it searches for food on the water surface. This bird is easy to distinguish by a melodic, sonorous voice (similar to a whooper, but a little duller).
From birth, both the female and the male look alternately. And they help them to eat as they grow. Adult individuals specifically make oscillating movements with their paws so that the living creatures underwater rise from the bottom to the surface and serve as food for their little chicks.
The small swan differs from its counterparts in a more sonorous voice.
Spread
A small (or tundra) swan is distributed along the tundra. Hence its name.
This bird gravitates to arctic and subarctic latitudes. Nesting occurs in the lowlands of coastal (or tundra) Eurasia. This is the territory from the Pacific coast to the Kola Peninsula. In total, there are 2 populations today: eastern and western. The border between them is the Taimyr Peninsula.
These birds leave their nesting sites in late October, and return by mid-May.
The western population is waiting for the frosty winter in Western Europe: England (including the islands), the Netherlands, Denmark. Most of them can be found on the southern coast of the North Sea. The eastern population migrates to more distant territories. They fly to the coastal sections of China (south) and to the island of Taiwan. Some fly to Japan and Korea, as well as to the south of the Caspian Sea, to India and Iran (western swans fly here as well). The Aral Sea has recently ceased to be their favorite habitat due to the exposure of these territories to an environmental disaster.
Strength and Nutrition
The total number of tundra swans (the Red Book contains them in their lists) is about 50 thousand individuals. The western population is less in number than the eastern one. In winter, they least fly to Iran (no more than 1000). About 18, 000 individuals in Europe are waiting for the same period, and about 20, 000 in East Asia. The rest fly to other regions.
Vegetable food on land and in water is the main diet of poultry. These are land and water plants: grass, berry, beets, potatoes, various algae. A small part falls on animal food: crustaceans, fish, mollusks.
Breeding
The tundra swan is a monogamous bird, like other species. Breeding in sparse colonies. The tundra is vast along the strike area, so the distance between bird nests can reach 2-3 km. Usually they settle down in the marshy area on a relatively dry hill. The nest itself is a bunch of branches, representing a mound, on top of which a depression is created, lined with feathers and other soft materials.
Typically, the clutch contains from 3 to 5 eggs. The incubation period is 30 days. At first, the hatched chicks have a light gray fluff, then, after about 40 days, plumage appears. They become wing after birth after 60 days. Parents take care of their chicks until next spring, and in the 3rd year of life, the birds become sexually mature.
It should be noted that during the nesting period the birds molt.
Red Book
The small (tundra) swan is listed in the Red Book, therefore the shooting of this bird is prohibited.
In the western population, the number of small swan has partially recovered. In a similar process now, birds of the eastern population. Today, in general, this species in the Red Book has category 5, which means "restoring appearance."
A little about legends and legends
Since ancient times, people worshiped swans, venerating them for their impregnability and pride. For example, the peoples of the Trans-Urals (Yakuts) perceived them as totem animals. The Ainu have traditions that people came from this bird. The Mongols believed that the very first people were made from the feet of swans. Siberian peoples believed that these birds turn into snow in the winter.
Most likely, swan fidelity made these birds amazing heroes of many legends and fairy tales, in which they often assume a human appearance with a human character.
Swans in legends, like people, can have different, opposite characters. So, for example, there are Slavic tales in which they serve Baba Yaga, stealing children for her. At the same time, they also help children return home, avoiding an evil fate.
The image of a swan was forever captured in heaven by the ancient Greeks, calling the Swan Road the Milky Way, because the location of this path during the spring migration of birds approximately coincides with the direction of flying flocks. They also called one of the constellations Cygnus.
