Birds of Britain 



coasts throughout the whole winter. It breeds along 

 the west coast of Greenland and also on the islands and 

 northern coasts of Eussia and Siberia. It feeds chiefly by 

 day, and is fond of wading about in mud-flats or in shallow 

 water feeding on aquatic vegetation. 



The whole plumage is chiefly black, except the tail 

 coverts, which are white, and a white patch on each side of 

 the neck. Length 22 in. j wing 13 in. 



THE WHOOPER SWAN 



Cygnus musicus, Bechstein 



Formerly breeding in small numbers in the Orkneys, 

 this species now only visits us during the winter, its numbers 

 depending largely on the severity of the climate in Northern 

 Europe. It frequents bays, estuaries, and inland lakes, 

 feeding on weeds and aquatic vegetation. The note is a 

 loud " whoop, whoop, whoop," from which its trivial name 

 has been derived, and is often uttered as they fly along the 

 shore in a long straggling line. The sexes are alike in 

 plumage, as are all palsearctic Swans, and this species may 

 be distinguished by the colour of the bill, which is black 

 at the tip and yellow at the base, the yellow extending 

 forward beyond the openings of the black nostrils. The 

 base of the bill is flat and quadrangular and not knobbed 

 as in the Mute Swan. Length 60 in. ; wing 25 - 5 in. 



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