Thursday, December 3, 2015

Tundra Swan

On wintry days, flocks of North America’s most numerous swans gather on lakes and estuaries or descend out of gray skies. These elegant creatures—slightly smaller than our other native species, the Trumpeter Swan—nest on arctic tundra and visit the U.S. only on migration and in winter. Most have a smudge of yellow at the base of their black bill, but otherwise are pure white.
Lewis and Clark provided the first written description of the Tundra Swan during their expedition to the West, where the birds’ whistle-like calls prompted Meriwether Lewis to dub them “whistling swans.”
Swans have long been associated with ideals of romance. Added to their elegant outlines and all-white plumage is their tendency to form permanent pair bonds.

"Nine Tundra Swans were seen at Falls Mills Lake on December 2, 2015"



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