Any of us can not agree that the swan is one of the most beautiful, majestic and proud birds of all that exist on the entire planet. In addition, it is also the largest of the birds living in Europe. Swans are divinely beautiful and graceful! Among them there are a variety of types, but each of them is magnificent and unique in its own way.
In the article below, we will talk about one of the representatives of this species of birds - the tundra swan. It is a relatively small bird compared to its relatives.
According to some documents and evidence, this family, which includes the small swan, appeared quite a long time ago - in the Miocene period. And it happened in a territorial sense, 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 what a tundra swan looks like, about its habitats and habits, and much moredescribed in this article. But first, let's take a brief look at the types of swans.
General information
Before we present a detailed description of the tundra swan, let us 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.
This is:
- Mute swan. At the moment of danger, it makes strange sounds in the form of hissing. A distinctive feature is the presence of a strongly prominent bright orange-red beak. Lives near lakes, estuaries and ponds.
- Whooper swan. During the mating season, they make loud clicking sounds. It has a bright lemon-yellow beak. Habitats - reservoirs of the northern forests of Eurasia.
- Trumpeter Swan. Quite a rare bird (only 6000 pairs today). Habitat - tundra strip of North America near large reservoirs. It resembles the whooper swan in appearance, 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 graceful than on land, when short legs make it awkward when walking (a more detailed description of the bird is given below in the article).
- Black Swan. It stands out among other relatives with a neck. It is his longest, and therefore the bird reaches almost one and a half meters in height. A very beautiful swan with black plumage interspersed with multiple white spots. The beak is bright red, luminous. Habitat - Australia (islandTasmania).
- 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 live all their lives in one pair…
Tundra swan: photo, description
This swan forms a separate species in the Anatidae family (order Anseriformes). The second name (small swan) was given to this bird due to the fact that among all its relatives it has the smallest size. It reaches a height of only one meter (sometimes a little more), and its weight is only no more than 7.5 kilograms. Some of them weigh 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 over 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, and then (most) - black. The plumage is white and the legs are dark. There is no sexual dimorphism between female and male.
Features, habits
Typical nesting sites of the tundra swan are open water bodies. These birds love to swim, while they always keep their neck at a right angle.
The tundra bird cannot dive, so it searches for food on the water surface. This bird is easy to distinguish by its melodious, sonorous voice (similar to the whooper, but slightlyoff the beaten track).
Both the female and the male look at their children from birth. And they help them eat as they grow. Adult individuals deliberately make oscillatory movements with their paws so that underwater living creatures 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.
Distribution
The small (or tundra) swan is widespread in the tundra. Hence its name.
This bird tends to arctic and subarctic latitudes. Its nesting occurs in the lowlands of coastal (or tundra) Eurasia. These are territories from the Pacific coast to the Kola Peninsula. In total, today there are 2 populations: eastern and western. The border between them is the Taimyr Peninsula.
These birds leave their nesting places in the last days of October, and return by mid-May.
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 areas 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 also fly here). The Aral Sea has recently ceased to be their favorite habitat due to the susceptibility of these territories to an ecological disaster.
Population and nutrition
The total number of tundra swans (the Red Book contains them in its lists) is about 50 thousand individuals. The western population is smaller in number than the eastern one. In winter, they fly to Iran the least (no more than 1000). Approximately 18,000 individuals are waiting for the same period in Europe, 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 the bird. These are terrestrial and aquatic plants: grass, berries, beets, potatoes, various algae. A small part falls on animal food: crustaceans, fish, shellfish.
Reproduction
The tundra swan is a monogamous bird, like other species. They nest in sparse colonies. The tundra is huge along its stretch, so the distance between bird nests can reach 2-3 km. Usually they settle in a swampy area on a relatively dry hill. The nest itself is a bunch of branches, which is a mound, on top of which a depression is created, lined with feathers and other soft materials.
Usually clutch contains 3 to 5 eggs. The incubation period is 30 days. At first hatched chicks have light gray fluff, then plumage appears after about 40 days. On the wing become 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 periodbirds molt.
Red Book
The small (tundra) swan is listed in the Red Book, so shooting this bird is prohibited.
In the western population, the number of lesser swan has partially recovered. Birds of the eastern population are in a similar process now. Today, in general, this species in the Red Book has category 5, which means “recovering species.”
A little bit about tales and legends
Since ancient times, people worshiped swans, revering them for their impregnability and pride. For example, the peoples of the Trans-Urals (Yakuts) perceived them as totem animals. There are legends among the Ainu that people descended from this particular bird. The Mongols believed that the very first people were made from the paws of swans. The Siberian peoples believed that these birds turn into snow in winter.
Most likely, and swan fidelity made these birds amazing heroes of many legends and fairy tales, in which they often take on a human form with a human character.
Swans in legends, like people, can have different, opposite characters. So, for example, there are Slavic fairy tales in which they serve Baba Yaga, stealing children for her. At the same time, they also help children return home, avoiding the evil fate.
The ancient Greeks imprinted the image of a swan forever in the heavens, calling the Milky Way the Swan Road, because the location of this path during the spring migration of birds approximately coincides with the direction of flying flocks. They also named one of the constellations Cygnus.
In closing
The life expectancy of tundra swans, like most other species, is up to 30 years.
Absolutely all these birds are refined and graceful. Speaking of them, something fabulous and beautiful immediately appears. You can't help but admire them. White, black, gray swans are all wonderful creatures of an amazingly rich and generous nature.
