Bewick's swan
Amazing fact
Bewick's swans bob their heads to signal to their family before taking flight.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Bewick's swans bob their heads to signal to their family before taking flight.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Bewick's swan
- Scientific name
- Cygnus columbianus bewickii
- Japanese name
- コハクチョウ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Cygnus
This page covers Bewick's swan, the subspecies of the tundra swan that breeds in northern Eurasia.
It breeds in the Arctic, and in autumn it moves to places in Asia such as Japan to spend the winter.
It is a plant eater that feeds on waterside plants. It can also float on the surface and stretch its long neck down to eat plants on the bottom.
Where it spends the winter, it gathers in very large flocks. In winter it also eats grain from farm crops.
How the Bewick's swan lives
At their breeding grounds, they build nests by piling up soil on raised ground. They use their beaks to dig up plants by the roots. Both parents and their chicks from that year live as a family. Males tend to lead the way during autumn migration.
上野動物園University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Total length: 120–150 cm
- Weight
- 4.3–9.6 kg
- Diet
- Grass and aquatic plants
- Range
- Northern Eurasia, Europe, the Caspian Sea region, South Korea, eastern China, and Japan
Where the Bewick's swan has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- コハクチョウ
- 简体中文
- 小天鹅
- 繁體中文
- 小天鵝
- 한국어
- 고니
- Español
- Cisne chico de Bewick
- Français
- Cygne de Bewick
- Deutsch
- Zwergschwan
- Português (Brasil)
- Cisne de Bewick
- العربية
- تم بيويك
- Русский
- Малый лебедь
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — コハクチョウChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Cygnus columbianusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Bewick's swan, look for this
- Look for the round head and brown eyes.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Bewick's swan
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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Others in Anatidae
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