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  • Bewick's swan

Bewick's swan

Bewick's swan (adult)
Bewick's swan (adult)
Bewick's swan (juvenile)
Bewick's swan (juvenile)
  • Scientific name: Cygnus columbianus bewickii
  • Bird family: Ducks, geese and swans
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Bewicks swan call audio

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

Richard Dunn, Xeno-canto

Key information

Bewick's swan adults are white all over and young birds greyish with a pinkish bill. Compared to the similar whooper swan, these swans have proportionally more black and less yellow on their bill. They're also smaller than both mute and whooper swans and have faster wingbeats. Bewick's swans are a Schedule 1 species.

What they eat:

In the UK, Bewick's swans feed in fields on leftover potatoes and grain. On their breeding grounds they eat aquatic plants and grass.

Measurements:

Length:
115-127 cm from bill to tail, including the long neck. A wingspan of 170-195 cm
Weight:
Just under 6 kg on average

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK wintering:
4-5,000 birds
Europe:
>23,000 birds (winter)

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Bewick's swan (adult)

Bewick's swan adult
Feather colour: White
Leg colour: Black
Beak: Black Yellow Long Duck-like Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Marine and intertidal Wetland

Bewick's swan (juvenile)

Juvenile Bewick's swan
Feather colour: Grey White
Leg colour: Black
Beak: Black Brown Red Yellow Long Duck-like Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Marine and intertidal Wetland

Similar birds:

Two species of swan come to the UK each winter: whooper swans migrate from Iceland and Bewick's swans make the journey from Siberia.

They both have yellow and black bills and can be difficult to separate; the patterns are unique to each individual bird and can be used to tell them apart.

Bewick's swans have more oval, rounded yellow patches on either side of their bill. They are the smallest swan species to visit the UK, not very much bigger than a Canada goose. Their calls are more reminiscent of an excited dog.

The yellow on a whooper swan's bill forms a pointed 'v' shape on either side. They are bigger birds than Bewick's swans and have a honking voice which can sound like an old-fashioned car horn!

Whooper swan
Whooper swan
Mute swan adult
Mute swan

Where and when to see them

Bewick's swans are found mainly in eastern England, around the Severn estuary and in Lancashire. The Ouse and Nene Washes (Cambridgeshire), Martin Mere (Lancashire) and Slimbridge (Gloucestershire) are good places to see Bewick's swans.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Bewick's swan distribution map

Bewick's swans arrive in the UK in mid-October after breeding in Siberia. They spend the winter here in our comparatively warm climate, before departing in March.

  • jan
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RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Amberley Wildbrooks

Video

Watch bewick's swans gathered by the water.

Watch bewick's swans gathered by the water.

Bewick's swan video screenshot

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