Species:

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)

Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)

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Length (cm):
145-160
26-29
Wingspan (cm):
218-243
67-76
Weight (gram):
8500-10000
160-280
Size group:
Bigger than a crow
Thrush-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Same size as Mute Swan. Adults pure white and juveniles greyish. The bill is black with a yellow wedge reaching well beneath the nostrils. Juveniles differs from Mute Swan in lacking black lores, and having a pink tinge to the grey bill.

Sound:

Quite vocal. Trumpet-like clear honks of half a second length most frequent in flight and take-off/landing. Often voiced with a register break.

Contact call:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

CC

Sounds:Hannu Jännes,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

Appearance:

Unmistakable in breeding plumage with golden, speckled upperparts and white-bordered black throat and belly. Male generally blacker than female, but due to regional differences, some females may be darker than males from other areas. Juveniles and birds in winter plumage, lacks the black underparts, and could be mistaken for Grey Plover. Differs from that species in more golden coloured back, less heavy bill and neck and by being slightly smaller. In flight easily told apart from Grey Plover, Pacific Golden Plover and American Golden Plover by white axillaries.

Sound:

Most common call at breeding ground a disyllabic, melancholic and wailing whistle with the end falling in pitch. In song flight also a trilling, warbling and cyclic "preecaria-preecaria-preecaria". Contact call a straight, short "kluee".

Contact call at breeding ground:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Duck-like
Silhouette
Waders
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Several different images of the species
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Several different sounds of the species
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file