Swan Goose

The Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) is a large bird with a long neck. 

The Swan Goose has greyish-brown upperparts, a maroon cap, and maroon at the back of its neck. Its underwing is black. It has a thin, white stripe surrounding the base of its beak. Its belly and sides are pale with darker streaks. Its beak is black, and its legs and feet are orange. It has maroon-brown eyes. The male and the female look similar, but the male has a longer beak and neck.

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What’s the difference between Swans: Bewick’s Tundra Swan and the Mute Swan?

The Bewick’s Tundra Swan is smaller than the Mute Swan.

The Bewick’s Tundra Swan has a more rounded head shape than the Mute Swan.

The Bewick’t Tundra Swan has a yellow eye-ring and the yellow of its beak extends to the forehead.

The Mute Swan has black towards it eyes and the black of its beak extends to the forehead.

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Bewick’s Tundra Swan

 

The Bewick’s Tundra Swan (Cygnus bewickii) is a bird in the Anatidae family of swans. It is a smaller Eurasian waterfowl than the Mute Swan. 

It is white with a yellow and black beak, a yellow eye-ring, and a rounded head. It has dark-grey legs.

The Bewick’s Tundra Swan can grow to 115-140 centimetres (45-55 inches) tall.

It lives in Europe and into southern Russia and China. It is a migratory bird, flying to warmer climates in winter in a V-formation flock.

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Mute Swan

The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a Eurasian waterfowl that lives across Europe into southern Russia and China. It is called mute because it is not as vocal as other species of swans.

The Mute Swan is white with an orange or orange-yellow beak that is bordered with black. It has black legs.

Birds do not have teeth, but the swan has serrated edges that look like teeth. They are plates called lamellae. The lamellae are useful for sifting water for plants and algae, and also frogs, worms, snails and small fish.

It grows to 125-170 centimetres (49-67 inches) tall. It is the second largest waterfowl (the Trumpeter Swan is the largest), and it is one of the heaviest flying birds.

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