Western Ecological Research Center
Whooper Swan Migration | ||
2006 | ||
 |
||
|
Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) are 140-165 cm in length, weighing from 7.5-12.7 kg, and an angular black bill with a yellow base.
They breed on shallow lakes and slow-flowing rivers in northern Eurasia and winter on agricultural land near coasts.
Their breeding areas are distributed from Iceland to NE Siberia, with wintering areas from Europe east to coastal China and Japan.
They depart from breeding areas in September and reach wintering areas by November, leaving in mid-March for a May return.
Up to 60% of the global population of more than 100,000 is found in the western Palearctic during the winter. They feed on
aquatic plants and grasses in the breeding season with added food from crop fields in the winter.
Very little is known about the relationship between their breeding and wintering populations. However, several swans were found dead during highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 outbreaks in 2005. During early August 2006, a team of scientists from U. S. Geological Survey (Western Ecological Research Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and Alaska Science Center), United Nations-FAO, Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, and Mongolian Wildlife Science Conservation Center deployed 10 global positioning transmitters (GPS) on wild Whooper Swans to track their migration routes and chronology. Molting birds were captured while flightless in northeastern Mongolia on Khorin Tsagaan Nuur and Ih Delger Nuur, lakes located in Dornod Aimag (Province) northeast of Dashbalbar soum. The objective of the study is to learn more about migratory bird movements and document areas that may be exposed to individuals traveling from areas with H5N1. |
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://werc.wr.usgs.gov/sattrack/whooperswan/whooperindex.html
Page Contact Information: Web Administrator
Page Last Modified: July 21, 2008
