Whooper swan

Latin Cygnus cygnus (L.)
Estonian Laululuik

Also known as: common swan.

Status in Estonia

Breeding, migratory and wintering bird.

Description

The whooper swan is a large bird with white plumage. In the spring and summer, many birds have dirty brown heads and necks. The neck is long; while swimming, it keeps its head upright. It has a long, wedge-shaped, mainly yellow, black-tipped beak, with the yellow area reaching from the eye to under the nostrils. The juvenile is grey with a brown tinge but less brown and lighter than a juvenile mute swan. The beak differs from the adult bird’s, being pink rather than black and pale rather than yellow.

Size

Body length 140–160 cm, wingspan 205–235 cm, body mass 6–11 kg.

Similar species

Mute swan, tundra swan.

Distribution

It breeds in northern part of Eurasia’s tundra and taiga zones and to a lesser extent in the south as far as Central Europe. It winters in Central and Western Europe (the largest wintering populations are in Germany and Denmark). The number of breeding pairs in Estonia has increased in recent decades, transforming the former migrant into a significant breeder.

Population

Estonia has 250–300 breeding pairs.

Occurrence in Estonia

It arrives in March and the migration stopover in Estonia in the spring lasts until the second half of May and another in the autumn from the end of September to November on its way to the northern wetlands. It is an uncommon breeder. About 1000–3000 whooper swans winter here.

Diet

The whooper swan feeds primarily on plants; invertebrates are less essential.

Habitat

During migrations, they make stops at both sea and inland water bodies and pairs nest in more concealed raised bog lakes, sea bays and other locations.

Nesting

It nests at the end of May or June. Both parents build the nest together. The female lays 4–6 yellowish-white eggs that she incubates for around 36 days. The chicks can leave the nest and swim right away, though at first they prefer to get around on their mother’s back. By the beginning of October, chicks have developed the ability to fly.

Conservation status and protection

It belongs to the protected species of category II. White-tailed eagles and predators on the ground pose a threat to the young.

Distribution and population in Lääne County

The whooper swan is an uncommon breeding and a common migratory bird in Lääne County. The whooper swan stops most frequently in Matsalu and Haapsalu bays during spring and autumn. During early spring, while the inner bays are still partially frozen, loud whooper swans frequently visit the fields to graze.
The greatest spots to see whooper swans are from the Haeska and Keemu observation towers as well as the Haapsalu Promenade. The wintering whooper swans are most active around the coast of the Noarootsi Peninsula and Vormsi Island.