Skip to main content

Donate

Birds
Live Cams
Courses
Merlin Bird ID

Donate

Tundra Swan Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Calls (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Alaska, June 06, 2006Recorded by Gerrit Vyn / Macaulay Library
Calls (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Alaska, June 14, 1972Recorded by William W. H. Gunn / Macaulay Library
Calls (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Alaska, June 14, 1972Recorded by William W. H. Gunn / Macaulay Library
Calls (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, November 25, 2012Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Alaska, June 12, 2019Recorded by Mark Robbins / Macaulay Library
Calls (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, November 23, 2019Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, November 23, 2019Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Wing sound (Whistling)
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Maryland, February 23, 1997Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Calls

Male and female Tundra Swans make a variety of bugling calls that are smoother and higher pitched than those of the Trumpeter Swan. These include a kuk-kuk contact call between parents and cygnets; a 1- or 2-syllable ou or oh used in flight, when flock members change, or when the flock gathers before dusk to roost; and an oo-ou-oo call, emphasizing the second syllable. This last call tends to be given when members of a pair reunite, after they land, and during or after an encounter with an opponent, as the birds shake their partially extended wings. In aggressive or defensive situations the adults make a hissing sound.

Other Sounds

Tundra Swans slap the water with their feet in response to an intruder or when they see or hear other swans in the distance. Air whistling through the wings of a swan in flight can be heard even when the bird is flying 100 feet or more overhead.

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

Looking for ID Help?

Our free app offers quick ID help with global coverage.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae)

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Greater White-fronted Goose

Pink-footed Goose

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Eurasian Wigeon

American Wigeon

American Black Duck

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Ring-necked Duck

Steller's Eider

Spectacled Eider

White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

A hawk has started hunting the feeder birds in my yard. What can I do?
Living Bird MagazineAnalysis: The Economic Value of Birds
How to Choose the Right Kind of Bird Feeder

Living Bird MagazineThey Had Feathers: Is the World Ready to See Dinosaurs as They Really Were?
About Suet, Mealworms, and Other Bird Foods
After birds leave a nest box, can I clean out the nest for future use?

About Us

Contact Us

Follow us

© 2024 Cornell University

Search for species name or keywords

Or Browse Bird Guide by Family or Shape

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Don't miss a thing! Join our email list

The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.