Small swan is a subspecies of an American swan, but sometimes reckoned with an independent form. Refers to eukaryotes, chord type, cubeshaped detachment, duck family, swans genus.
This is a rare bird prone to migration. In the spring you can meet from April to May. Migrates small caravans. Even more often, singlely, adjacent to the caravans of other swans.
Description
The appearance of a small swan is similar to the click. However, the latter differs in large sizes. A distinctive feature of a small swan from others is a partially black, partially yellow beak. Young individuals are shown with light sednet with pink, the color of the beak in one part and darker-at the top.
Sitting on the water, a small swan tightly presses the wings to the spinal part. Compared to the clicun, the neck of the small representative is shorter and thicker, has no characteristic bend in the lower part. By setting these two individuals nearby, you can observe a clear difference in the size of the body.
In adult swans, the eyes and legs are painted in bright black, in chicks with a yellow tint. Young representatives are lighter: a grayish tint prevails on the dorsal part, the back of the neck and the side sides of the head-smoky brown. The white color is acquired in the first year. The head with the neck receives a true color only in the third year of life. The neck and the interior of the neck of the white color.
The base of the beak in young chicks up to the eyes is saturatedly light with a slight yellow tint. Plumage near the nostrils is pinkish, at the top gray. The corners of the beak are black. The length of an adult can reach 1.15 1.27 m. The wingspan is about 1.8 2.11 m. Mass depending on age and floor can be from 3 to 8 kg.
Habitat
The small swan has a remarkable habitat. This species lives in the European and Asian regions of Eurasia, the tundra. Also, the islands of Kolguev, Vaigach and the southern part of the new land are born. Previously, the windows of the nests on the Kola Peninsula, but disappeared, as from some regions of Yamala, Taimyr.
Today, a small swan is divided into western and eastern populations. For some, this is enough to classify them with different subspecies. The nesting of the Western population occurs in the tundra: from the Kola Peninsula to the coastal section of Taimyr.
In the southern part, they can be found up to the foresttundra in the Yenisei Valley. Can also be seen on the territory of the peninsula, Yugorsk. Nests are also found in the coastal areas of Yamala and Gydan. Eastern population prefers to settle in the Primorsky tundra. Starting from the Delta of the Lena River and ending with the Chayun lowland.
Western wintering in the UK, France, the Netherlands and the Caspian Sea. The eastern population prefers the countries of Asia. Birds often live the territories of China, Japan, Korea. In general, in the tundra spend, approximately 4 months.
Food
The diet of small swans is not much different from others. Prefers plant foods, algae and ground herbs, berries. Also, swans will not abandon such delicacy as invertebrate inhabitants of the waters and a small fish.
Interesting Facts
- The largest migrating caravan was observed in 1986 with the lower train of Turgai. The flock totaled approximately 120 individuals of small swans.
- Few people know, but swans are monogamous. They choose a satellite for the rest of their lives. Found pairs usually in the second year of life.
- The view is listed in the Red Book. Counting to the category of recovery and is under observation. The Western population was restored, practically in all the usual habitats. Eastern still restored.
