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Profiles
Tundra Swan
(Cygnus columbianus)
Photo © Maslowski Wildlife Productions, Cincinnati
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If you're lucky enough to see a flock of Tundra swans migrating on a cold, clear night, their wings translucent against a full moon, you'll not soon forget the sight. The largest of the Arctic birds, the Tundra swan nests on islands or edges of ponds, and may reuse the site each summer. Tundra swans mate for life, and remain close to each other all year long. Young swans accompany their parents for the first year, learning migration routes and staging areas.
Spring migration:
Leave the Chesapeake Bay wintering area by mid-March, stage around the Great Lakes and Minnesota until mid-April; arrive Arctic coastal plain mid-May.
Photo © Maslowski Wildlife Productions, Cincinnati
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Fall migration:
Late September or early October leave the Arctic coastal plain east to the McKenzie River Delta, south and east toward North Dakota (Devils Lake National Wildlife Refuge) and western Minnesota. Arrive Chesapeake Bay for over-wintering, early November. Many swans continue south to eastern North Carolina for the winter.
Maximum migration: 4,200 miles
Altitude: 2,000 - 4,000 feet
Swan's Migration
Four page factsheet:
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