Whenever a Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) is reported from New Brunswick it causes great interest and excitement among birders. These are birds of the central and western parts of Canada so they very rarely show up here. On November 11, 2024 a report came in that a Tundra Swan was seen at Gauvreau, near Tracadie-Sheila, NB. It was moving around and feeding with a flock of Canada Geese but seemed to be returning alone to its favourite place at Gauvreau. I saw it on November 19, 2024 at Gauvreau. It was alone, resting on a body of water that goes well inland. It was alone, no Canada Geese present. A small group of birders watched and photographed it at a safe, elevated distance. After resting it came ashore for a preening session. It fed on the grassy bank above, an area of mown grass. It seemed unconcerned with the people watching it but we were well away. Another sighting of 3 swans has been reported this week (Nov. 29-30) in the Hampton area but this has not been confirmed. It could be that our juvenile Tundra Swan was not alone.
Our earliest specimens of this species are at the NB Museum and are from 1881 and 1906. After that we had a few unconfirmed reports and no confirmed sightings until the 1980s. Local birders may have this species on their lists from Chance Harbour, 1983; New Horton, 1983; Grand Lake, 1985; Darlings Island, 1985; and Saint John, 1986. It is unknown what caused them to migrate this way in the 1980s. Most of these sightings are of adult birds.
The Tundra Swan seen at Gauvreau is a juvenile. I had never seen a juvenile before so this bird was exciting for me. I have seen Tundra Swans in Ontario where they are relatively common, being on the central flyway. I have also seen adults in South Carolina and North Carolina. The sighting in North Carolina was of a flock of 30-35. Although that was exciting for me, it is not unusual because they winter there.
Tundra Swans formerly were called Whistling Swans. This name referred to the whistling sound their powerful beating wings make in flight. The name was changed to Tundra Swan in recent years. It is also called Slender-necked Swan.
The Tundra Swan is our smallest swan (132 cm), smaller than the Trumpeter Swan and the Mute Swan, both 152 cm long approximately. When you see it, however, it does not look small, especially when you compare it to Canada Geese. The Tundra Swan is our most widespread swan in North America. However, it is a holarctic species. As well as North America they summer in most European countries and winter in Algeria, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Nepal, NW Pakistan, Siberia and the islands of the western Pacific. In North America they breed in the far Arctic from Ungava to the west coast of Alaska including some of the Arctic islands, and along parts of the shoreline of Hudson Bay. The preferred habitat is tundra ponds and lakes and coastal wetlands. There are two distinct wintering populations. The eastern population winters on the coast from southern New Jersey to Georgia with most of them wintering in North Carolina. The western population winters from southern British Columbia to the Central Valley of California. The individuals that arrived here probably were from the Hudson Bay or northern Quebec population. In the winter they prefer back bays, shallow estuaries, open lakes and rivers, and agricultural land. During migration they move between stopover staging sites. Some of these are the Great Basin, the eastern Great Lakes, the upper Mississippi Valley and eastern Pennsylvania. Normally they prefer nonstop flights between these areas. They fly in ‘V’ formation and can reach speeds of 100 miles per hour especially in favourable winds. They can fly at altitudes of 8 km. Peak fall migration is from September to mid-December. The birds found here must have been blown off their normal fall migration route.
Migrating swans are beautiful to watch and hear. They fly with their necks outstretched and their eerie haunting sounds are one of the wonders of nature. They often vocalize into a chorus while flying. Individually their vocals sound like an abrupt whoo! Sometimes they string it out to a longer whoooooo!
Adult Tundra Swans (South Carolina) [Bev Schneider Photo]
The Tundra Swan has a more slender neck than the Trumpeter or Mute Swan. The adult is white all over with a black bill. One has to look carefully at the bill in order to tell this species from the Trumpeter Swan which also is white with a black bill. The bill in the Tundra Swan is black with a yellowish area at the base. The bill of the Trumpeter Swan is all black. At a long distance the yellowish area on the Tundra Swan is not visible so the profile of the bill and head is helpful. The Tundra Swan has a slightly concave bill and a peak to its head. The Trumpeter shows a straight line along the bill to the top of the head. Some say the Tundra Swan looks happy and the Trumpeter Swan looks sad or solemn because of the shape of the head and bill. The Tundra Swan would not be mistaken for the larger Mute Swan which has an orange and black bill often with a knob on it. The legs and feet of the juvenile Tundra Swan are gray coloured and those of the adult are black. The adult female is called a ‘pen’ and the male, a ‘cob’. See photos above for the noted features.
The juvenile Tundra Swan is much grayer than the white adult. As seen in the photos above the gray is concentrated on the head and neck although the much younger juvenile is all gray. The bill is pinkish except for the tip and base which show a black line.
Another feature used to distinguish a Tundra Swan from a Trumpeter is the area between the bill base and the eye. In the Tundra Swan the eye is separated from the bill by a short distance of facial flesh. In the Trumpeter the black base of the bill seems to touch and envelope the eye. This might be especially useful in juveniles.
The diet of Tundra Swans includes plant parts mostly seeds, stems roots and tubers of aquatic vegetation. They plunge their heads and long necks to the bottom and pull up aquatic vegetation. They will also dabble by upending like many ducks and geese. They will also graze on sedges, grasses and agricultural crops.
Tundra Swans pair for life but an adult who has lost a mate will choose another. Nest building is in late May. They build a large mounded nest from plant material at an elevated site near open water. They defend the territory around it vigorously. 3 to 5 eggs are laid and incubation lasts for 30 to 32 days. It takes 60 to 75 days for the young to fledge. While they are confined to the nest area they are vulnerable to predators like Arctic Foxes, Parasitic Jaegers, gulls, and even bears. The young stay with the adults for the first winter migration and they are often joined by last year’s offspring. They do not reach sexual maturity until 3 or 4 years of age.
The population of this species is presently stable. It is thought to have doubled from the 1960s to the 1990s. It is the most common species of swan in North America with a population of around 170,000 in 1990. The European population was estimated at 17,000 in 1990. The North American population is mostly stable over its range but it is dependent on agriculture on whose crops it depends in winter. That is because of water pollution in its normal habitat and shrinking agricultural lands. The main cause of adult mortality is hunting and the ingestion of lead pellets.
The Tundra Swan genus is sometimes split into two species, the Tundra Swan and the Bewick’s Swan. The Bewick’s Swan is more Eurasian and the Tundra Swan (Whistling) is more confined to North America. Ornithologists sometimes separate them into various subspecies. It is mostly accepted that the species is ‘Tundra Swan’ which includes all of the above.
The Juvenile Tundra Swan that is visiting here presently should not be alone. It obviously got separated from its parents. It needs to make its way to North Carolina. We hope it is motivated to continue its migration and it knows where to go on its own.
