Cygnus columbianus

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Vegetation: freshwater lakes and ponds • Maximum Elevation: 2,000 meters • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low

Typically found in a lake at a mean distance from sea level of 301 meters (989 feet).[2]

Ecology: Behaviour This species is fully migratory and travels on a narrow front via specific routes using well-known stop-over sites3 between its Arctic breeding and temperate wintering grounds1. It arrives on the breeding grounds from early-May to late-June3 (depending on local conditions)2 where it breeds well-dispersed5 in single pairs1, occasionally nesting semi-colonially in optimum habitats2, 3. After breeding the species undergoes a flightless moulting period lasting for c.30 days between late-June and early-September, gathering in flocks on open waters3, 4. Family groups leave the breeding grounds from early-September to late-October3 and arrive on the wintering grounds from mid-October onwards3. During this autumn migration some groups may remain at stop-over sites until moved on by cold weather3. The return northward migration occurs from early-March, with the species travelling in small parties that disperse on arrival in the Arctic3. The species is gregarious outside of the breeding season , often gathering into large flocks of hundreds or thousands of individuals on the wintering grounds2, 3. The species forages by day (where undisturbed)1 and roosts at night on open water2. Habitat Breeding The species breeds near shallow pools , lakes1 and broad slow-flowing rivers1, 2 with emergent littoral vegetation and pondweeds (e.g. Potamogeton spp. ) connected to coastal delta areas2 in open, moist, low-lying sedge-grass or moss-lichen2 Arctic tundra1. It rarely nests in shrub tundra , and generally avoids forested areas2. Non-breeding On migration the species frequents shallow ponds2, lowland and upland lakes2, 3, reservoirs3, riverine marshes, shallow saline lagoons2 and sheltered coastal bays and estuaries3. During the winter it inhabits brackish and freshwater marshes3, rivers , lakes , ponds2 and shallow tidal estuarine areas1, 2 with adjacent grasslands1, flooded pastures2 or agricultural arable fields1, 2 below 100 m5. Diet The species is predominantly herbivorous1, its diet consisting of the seeds, fruits, leaves, roots , rhizomes and stems of aquatic plants (e.g. Potamogeton, Zostera and Glyceria spp.), grasses1, sedges, reeds (Phragmites and Typha spp.)2 and herbaceous tundra vegetation2. During the winter the species complements its diet with agricultural grain and vegetables1 (e.g. potatoes1 and sugar beet2), and may also take estuarine invertebrates such as molluscs , amphipods (e.g. Corophium spp.) and polycheate worms on tidal mudflats prior to migration2. Breeding site The nest is a large mound of plant matter positioned on elevated ground1 such as a ridge or hummock, often at some distance from feeding pools to reduce to the risk of flooding2. The species may re-use a nest from the previous year or build a new one, and although it is not colonial , many pairs may nest close together in optimum habitats (e.g. 5-16 pairs per 10 km2)2. Management information An experiment carried out in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, California found that in wetland habitats where clay hardpans underlie wetland sediments tilling (plowing) the soil may be an effective means of reducing lead shot availability to waterfowl8. Plowing was found to reduce the amount of shot available to depths of 20-30 cm (below the foraging zone of the species)8.

[3].

List of Habitats:

•     4     Grassland   
  
•     4.1     Grassland - Tundra   
  
•     4.4     Grassland - Temperate   
  
•     5     Wetlands (inland)   
  
•     5.1     Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls )   
  
•     5.4     Wetlands (inland) - Bogs , Marshes, Swamps , Fens , Peatlands   
  
•     14     Artificial/Terrestrial   
  
•     14.1     Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land   
  
•     14.2     Artificial/Terrestrial - Pastureland   
[more info]

Biology

Diet

Green plant matter, seeds, and aquatic invertebrates .

Reproduction

Clutch Size: 5 Length of Incubation : 35-40 days Days to Fledge : 60-70+ Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Migratory.

Tundra swans migrate to their northern breeding grounds , from Alaska's Bristol Bay to Baffin Island, with the first spring thaw. They fly in chevrons of 25 to 100 birds. Perhaps 70,000 have wintered in the Chesapeake Bay and San Francisco Bay marshes. Smaller numbers come from other Atlantic Coast estuaries, the Klamath Basin of the northwest, the Carson Sink of Nevada, the Bear River of Utah, the Columbia River of Oregon, and even southern New Mexico. A European subspecies is extremely similar to North American tundra swans, but they do not migrate to this continent. By mid-May nearly all have arrived in the treeless tundra country of the far north. They are believed to pair for life, and they breed at two to three years. They lay an average of four eggs , which take about 30 days to hatch , in a depression lined with grass , moss, willow and down . Chicks (cygnets) can dive in water at about 10 days of age. They can fly by the age of 10 weeks. Tundra swans leave the nesting areas in late September, and weather can be a severe factor before and during their migrations. They migrate as family units . Tundra swans reach their wintering grounds from mid-November into December. Those bound for the Atlantic Coast make tremendous flights, flying day and night with infrequent stops, at altitudes of 3,000 to 5,000 feet.(Ref. 109946)

Behavior

Tundra swan displays are like small dramas: Adults may land on water, face each other, spread their wings and call loudly. After a brief time, the birds separate and feed quietly. If they are alarmed, their long necks are stretched up, their bills pointing skyward. (Ref. 109946)

A group of swans may sound like a flock of noisy Canada geese, but their calls are more musical then honking.[1]

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Cygnus columbianus (Ord) • Cygnus columbianus (Ord, 1815)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 23-Jan-2007

Similar Species

Trumpeter Swan

Members of the genus Cygnus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 11 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. atratus (Black Swan) · C. buccinator (Trumpeter Swan) · C. columbianus (Whistling Swan) · C. columbianus atlanticus (Tundra Swan) · C. columbianus bewickii (Bewick's Swan) · C. columbianus columbianus (Tundra Swan) · C. cygnus (Common Whooper) · C. cygnus buccinator (Trumpeter Swan) · C. melancoryphus (Black-Necked Swan) · C. melanocorypha (Black-Necked Swan) · C. olor (Domestic Swan)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A Directory of Neotropical Wetlands. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre url p. 674.
• A List of British birds / London: British Ornithologists' Union, 1915. url .
• A check list of North American birds. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1882. url p. 110.
• A faunal investigation of Long Point and vicinity, Norfolk County, Ontario / [Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology], 1931. url p. 159.
• A faunal investigation of Prince Edward County, Ontario / Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1941. url p. 31.
• A hand-list of British birds, with an account of the distribution of each species in the British Isles and abroad. By Ernst Hartet, F. C. R. Jourdain, N. F. Ticehurst and H. F. Witherby. London, Witherby, 1912. url p. 127.
• A list of British birds, comp. by a committee of the British ornithologists' union. London: British ornithologists' union, 1915. url p. 341.
• Abstract of the proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New York City, for the official year. . [New York]: The Society, [1889-1932] url p. 51, p. 84.
• American duck shooting, by George Bird Grinnell. .. with fifty-eight portraits of North American swans, geese and ducks by Edwin Sheppard and numerous vignettes in the text by Wilmot Townsend. New York, Forest and stream pub. co.[1901] url p. 34, p. 619.
• Annotated CITES Appendices and Reservations CITES, WCMC url p. 66.
• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. url , p. 100, p. 101, p. 101, p. 103, p. 104, p. 109, p. 118, p. 120, p. 137, p. 149, p. 153, p. 327, p. 420, p. 66, p. 789, p. 82, p. 85, p. 87, p. 87, p. 97, p. 98.
• Annual report of the Ohio State Academy of Science. Columbus: The Academy, 1893-1930. url p. 51.
• Biosphere Reserves, Compilation 4, October 1986: programme on man and the biosphere (MAB) IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre url p. 100, p. 500.
• Birds & nature magazine. Chicago, nature study publishing company [etc.]1896-1907. url p. 84.
• Birds / by A.H. Evans. London: Macmillan, 1899 (1909 printing). url p. 135.
• Birds in Kansas / Max C. Thompson & Charles Ely. 1 Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History: c1989- url p. 64, p. x.
• Birds of Massachusetts and other New England states / [Norwood, Ma.: Printed by Berwick and Smith Company], 1925-1929 url , p. 302.
• Birds of Oregon, by Ira N. Gabrielson. .. and Stanley G. Jewett. .. Corvallis, Or., Pub. by Oregon State College through the O.S.C. Cooperative Association[c1940] url , p. 121.
• Birds of the Northwest: a hand-book of the ornithology of the region drained by the Missouri River and its tributaries / by Elliott Coues. Washington: Govt. Print. Off., 1874. url p. 546.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url , p. 102, p. 125, p. 281, p. 374.
• Bulletin / Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology. Washington: G.P.O., 1901-1971. url p. 100, p. 135, p. 137, p. 223, p. 239, p. 251, p. 93.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 102 1949 Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, 1863- url p. 62.
• Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. Los Angeles, Calif.: The Academy, 1902-1971. url p. 125.
• California fish and game. [San Francisco, etc.]: State of California, Resources Agency, Dept. of Fish and Game. url p. 139, p. 254, p. 27, p. 88.
• Canada's missing dimension: science and history in the Canadian Arctic Islands / Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Nature, 1990. url p. 520, p. 841.
• Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. Charles E. Hellmayr, Boardman Conover. 13 1948 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1948. url p. 284, p. 285.
• Catalogue of the Collection of Birds' Eggs in the British Museum / By E. W. Oates [and afterwards] by S. G. Reid [and] W. R. Ogilvie-Grant. London, 1901-12. url p. 139.
• Catalogue of the collection of birds' eggs in the British museum (Natural history). London: Printed by order of the Trustees, 1901-12. url p. 139.
• Check-list of North American birds / prepared by a committee of the American ornithologists' union. Lancaster, Pa.: The Union, 1931. url p. 36, p. 417.
• Check-list of North American birds: the species of birds of North America from the Arctic through Panama, including the West Indies and Hawaiian Islands / prepared by the Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of the American Orni Lawrence, Kan.: American Ornithologists' Union, 1983. url p. 62, p. 63.
• Check-list of birds of the world. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1931-1987. url p. 144, p. 434.
• Directory of Wetlands of International Importance. IUCN url p. 147, p. 220, p. 229, p. 405, p. 406, p. 63, p. 700, p. 709, p. 718, p. 729, p. 765.
• Ecological investigations of the tundra biome in the Prudhoe Bay region, Alaska / edited by Jerry Brown. [Fairbanks: University of Alaska], 1975. url p. 126.
• FWS/0BS. [Washington]Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. url , p. 58, p. 59, p. 61.
• Field book of birds of the southwestern United States, by sqther E. Wyman. .. and Elizabeth F. Burnell. .. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1925. url p. 299, p. 52.
• Fish, wildlife and recreational values of Michigan's coastal wetlands / Twin Cities, Minn.: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region III, 1978. url p. 191.
• Fishery bulletin. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, The Service, U.S. Govt Print. Off. url p. 532.
• Food habits of some Arctic birds and mammals / by Clarence Cottam and Harold C. Hanson. 20 1938 Chicago, ILL: Field Museum of Natural History, c1938. url p. 409.
• Ibis. [London]Published for the British Ornithologists' Union by Academic Press. url p. 498.
• Illinois River Bluffs area assessment / Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Scientific Research and Analysis, [and the] State Geological Survey Division. Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, 1998- url p. 71.
• Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and Lower California Boston, Estes and Lauriat, 1894. url .
• Life histories of North American wild fowl: order Anseres (part) / by Arthur Cleveland Bent. Washington: G.P.O., 1923. url , p. 281.
• MAB Biosphere Reserves: Site Descriptions, post compilation 5 (October 1990) UNESCO MAB Programme url .
• Manual of the vertebrates of the northern United States, including the district east of the Mississippi River, and north of North Carolina and Tennessee, exclusive of marine species. Chicago, Jansen, McClurg, 1884. url p. 139.
• Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass. Cambridge [Mass.]: The Museum, 1876-1940. url p. 425, p. 425.
• Memoirs of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 13 1984 San Diego, Calif.: The Society, 1931-1989. url p. 269.
• Naturalist's guide to the Americas, prepared by the Committee on the Preservation of Natural Conditions of the Ecological Society of America, with assistance from numerous organizations and individuals, assembled and edited by chairman, Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1926. url p. 754, p. 754.
• Nature Reserves of the Himalaya and the Mountains of Central Asia IUCN url p. 463, p. 92.
• Nature. London, Macmillan. url p. 233.
• New England bird life: being a manual of New England ornithology; rev. and ed. from the manuscript of Winfrid A. Stearns. .. by Dr. Elliott Coues. .. Boston, C.T. Dillingham, 1881-83. url p. 296, p. 296, p. 296, p. 297, p. 297, p. 297, p. 407, p. 407, p. 407.
• New England bird life; being a manual of New England ornithology: rev.and ed. from the manuscript of Winfrid A. Stearns / Boston, C. T. Dillingham, 1883-, c1881. url , , .
• New North American fleas. 29 1944 Chicago, 1944 url p. 222.
• North American fauna. Washington: Fish and Wildlife Service; for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U. S. Govt. Print. Off. url p. 12, p. 393.
• Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. 1989 Lawrence, Kan.: The University, 1971-1994. url p. 23.
• Ornamental waterfowl: a practical manual on the acclimatization of the swimming birds. .. Walsall, W. H. Robinson, 1907. url .
• Ornithological notes from Point Barrow, Alaska, by Louis B. Bishop. 29 1944 Chicago, 1944 url p. 183.
• Our feathered game: a handbook of the North American game birds / by Dwight W. Huntington; with eight full-page shooting scenes in color and one hundred and thirty-five bird portraits. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1911, c1903. url p. 358.
• Our feathered game; a handbook of the North American game birds, New York, C. Scribner's Sons, 1903. url .
• P.D. Skaar's Montana bird distribution / revised by the Montana Bird Distribution Committee. [Helena, MT]:Montana Natural Heritage Program, 1996 url p. 19.
• Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url p. 276, p. 286, p. 37, p. 625, p. 770.
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 10, p. 14, p. 562.
• Protected Landscapes: experience around the world. Prepared for the International Symposium on Protected Landscapes, Grange-over-Sands, England 5-10 October 1987 IUCN url p. 240.
• Report of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and financial report of the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents for the year ending June 30. .. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1933-1965. url p. 100, p. 103, p. 105, p. 105, p. 118, p. 120, p. 137, p. 149, p. 70, p. 80, p. 81, p. 82, p. 94.
• Sea-birds: an introduction to the natural history of the sea-birds of the North Atlantic / by James Fisher and R. M. Lockley. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1954. url p. 316.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 85 1933 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. url p. 18, p. 19, p. 39.
• Smithsonian year. 1965 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1965-1976. url p. 176, p. 311.
• Some recent bird records from Canada's eastern Arctic / [Toronto]: Royal Ontario Museum, 1942. url p. 341.
• Special papers / Ohio Academy of Sciences. Columbus, Ohio: The Academy, 1899-1929. url p. 51.
• Special scientific report--wildlife / U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service, 1949- url p. 129, p. 2, p. 248, p. 261, p. 318, p. 483, p. 575, p. 577, p. 579, p. 580, p. 585, p. 618, p. 626, p. 635, p. 643, p. 647, p. 653.
• The Aleutian islands: their people and natural history (with keys for the identification of the birds and plants) City of Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1945. url p. 77.
• The Auk. Washington, D.C.: American Ornithologists' Union, etc., 1884- url p. 193, p. 397.
• The Avicultural magazine. Ascot, Berkshire, etc.: Avicultural Society, etc. url p. 71.
• The British bird book: an account of all the birds, nests and eggs found in the British Isles / ed. by F.B. Kirkman. Illustrated by two hundred drawings and numerous photographs. London: T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1910-13. url p. 177.
• The Cambridge natural history / edited by S. F. Harmer and A. E. Shipley. London: Macmillan and Co.; 1895-1909. url p. 112.
• The Canadian field-naturalist. 63 1949 Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url lloyd , hantzsch , , , porsild , rogers , elson , title page, index , , p. 105, p. 11, p. 120, p. 124, p. 131, p. 139, p. 142, p. 146, p. 147, p. 148, p. 149, p. 153, p. 157, p. 157, p. 175, p. 179, p. 184, p. 187, p. 208, p. 21, p. 211, p. 215, p. 215, p. 219, p. 221, p. 224, p. 231, p. 248, p. 269, p. 31, p. 315, p. 36, p. 377, p. 4, p. 40, p. 415, p. 47, p. 486, p. 50, p. 50, p. 529, p. 532, p. 538, p. 570, p. 571, p. 586, p. 587, p. 64, p. 661, p. 665, p. 676, p. 677, p. 678, p. 79, p. 8, p. 93, p. 94.
• The Coues check list of North American birds [Elliott Coues]. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1882. url .
• The Great Basin naturalist. 47 1987 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 518, p. 520, p. 549, p. 729.
• The Marine Mammal Commission compendium of selected treaties, international agreements, and other relevant documents on marine resources, wildlife, and the environment / compiled by Richard L. Wallace. Washington, D.C.: The Commission; 1994 url p. 3481.
• The Ottawa naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url p. 109, p. 109.
• The birds of Ohio; a revised catalogue, [Columbus?]Academy of Science, 1903. url .
• The birds of the Lake St. Martin region, Manitoba / [Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology], 1937. url p. 9.
• The ducks, geese and swans of North America, a vade mecum for the naturalist and the sportsman, Washington, D.C., American Wildlife Institute, 1943. url p. 69.
• The ducks, geese, and swans of North America; a vade mecum for the naturalist and the sportsman, by Francis H. Kortright. Illus. by T. M. Shortt. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Co.;[1960, c1953] url , p. 69.
• The gun; afield & afloat. London, Chapman, 1904. url p. 188.
• The ornithology of Illinois. Part I. Descriptive catalogue. By Robert Ridgway. Part II. Economic ornithology. By S. A. Forbes. Pub. by the authority of the state Legislature. Springfield, Ill.: H. W. Rokker, printer, 1889-95. url p. 107, p. 107.
• The wild fowl of the United States and British possessions; or, The swan, geese, ducks, and mergansers of North America. .. New York, F. P. Harper[c1898] url .
• Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 8 1938 [San Diego]: The Society, 1905-1989. url p. 470.
• University of Kansas publications, Museum of Natural History. 1 1947 Lawrence, University of Kansas. url p. 196, p. 611.
• [Collected reprints, 1902-1928. s.l., s.n.19--] url , .

Notes

Contributors

• BirdLife International 2009. Cygnus columbianus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 31January2012.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 20, 2012.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 26, 2007:

• Avian Knowledge Network, eBird
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Ontario Nest Records
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal British Columbia Museum
• Marine Science Institute, UCSB, Paleobiology Database
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• New Brunswick Museum, NBM birds
• Royal Ontario Museum, Bird specimens
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Environment and Heritage Service - EHS Species Datasets

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 11631
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-714735
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 2927116
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 174987
• IUCN ID: 203862
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNJB02010
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 7220

Footnotes

1. New Mexico Wildlife. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Version of April 24, 2009. [back]
2. Standard Deviation = 447.300 based on 4,146 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
3. BirdLife International 2009. Cygnus columbianus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.