Scientific Name: Cygnus columbianus
Weight: under 9 kg
Length: 121-140 cm
Wing Span: Male: 52-55 cm, Female: 51-56 cm
Colors: Entirely white feathers. Black bill with yellow spot at the base and black legs and feet.
Life Expectancy: 30 years
Region: Lowlands of the Arctic and the Hudson Bay area.
Breakfast:
aquatic plants, corn
Lunch:
wheat, mussels
Dinner:
clams
Where I Live:
I live in the southern and central parts of the Arctic region of Canada. I am able to live in the cold weather because I have a very thick coat of feathers. In the winter time, I migrate to California, Maryland and North Carolina. My nest is composed of moss, and grass. It is often situated by water where I like to sun bathe. In the arctic there are not many trees so the vegetation is mainly that of the Tundra Forest. That is why I live there.
Who I am:
When I have become a grown bird, I rarely get attacked, but I have to watch out for my eggs and young. They can be attacked by golden eagles, wolves, foxes and bears. It is not until I am five years old that I am able to produce eggs. Our mating season is after winter. The female usually lays 4 white creamy eggs. While she keeps the eggs warm I stand guard and protect them. My kids tend to be a little greyer than me and their beaks are pink, initially but black in the spring. When we migrate, we fly together in a "V" with as many as 80 of our cousins. We have webbed feet which makes it easy for us to swim from place to place. There are seven species of swans in the world including myself that we know of. If we suffer through a cold winter, our population shrinks in the spring because we cannot lay as many eggs. It is now illegal for humans to hunt us.
Did You Know: