Page 104 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends

Swan, Tundra

(Cygnus columbianus)

Body length ranges from
115 to 145 cm, weight
— from 4 to 10 kg. The
bird can be recognized by
its black beak with small
yellow spots at the base. The
nature of the distribution
of the pattern and the size
of the spots in different
individuals may vary.

In the summertime, the
American swan mainly
feeds on aquatic plants and
grasses, growing on the
shore. In winter, the diet consists of cereal grains that remain in the fields. Swans also eat
potato tops and tubers.
The nesting part of the range covers Alaska, the northern regions of Canada and the extreme
northeast of Russia. In the Far East, nests on the Chukotka Peninsula, on the coast of the
Kolyuchinskaya Bay. Winters off the west coast of the United States. Occasionally occurs
wintering in Japan in flocks of small swans. Vagrant birds were recorded on Sakhalin Island
and in South Primorye. Solitary birds recorded in the southern part of Sakhalin Island in the
Salmon Bay of Aniva Bay. The species was not recorded on the Kuril Islands.

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