November 12, 1999

     Tundra Swans

Tundra swans are migrating over Minnesota, and we are hearing their muffled, musical whistles.  The mature swans are all white with black bills, and the immature ones are a very light brownish-gray with pink bills.  As they are 3 feet tall and have a 7-foot wingspan, they are easy to spot and identify.

The swans are coming from their summer range mainly north of the Arctic Circle.  Large numbers pause briefly each fall on lakes and rivers in the Great Lakes area before moving to their winter headquarters along the Atlantic coast from Chesapeake Bay to North Carolina.

Tundra swans fly with speed and power, their long necks stretched straight ahead, feet back under their tails and wings beating slowly and regularly as they travel in V-shaped wedges, sometimes at the height of more than over a mile.