Description:

A very large, long-necked and full-breasted swan with a triangular head and flat-profiled bill. Adult is white with black and yellow bill; yellow on bill extends as wedge towards tip. Juvenile is smoky-grey, with pinkish bill. Longer neck and more angular head shape than Tundra.

Distribution:

Vagrant to major waterways and lakes in Gilgit-Baltistan, with no latest records. Landing in the region during cloudy/harsh weather, at lakes, marshes, rivers and streams with fringe vegetation up to 3500m, avoiding turbulent waters.

Behavior:

Forages mainly on land, by grazing, but also on water, where it sometimes upends or submerges head, and by probing in mud and pulling at stems of exposed roots. Almost entirely vegetarian, mainly aquatic plants and grass during the breeding season, complemented with grain, potatoes, acorns and other vegetable matter.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Whooper Swan in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Whooper Swan

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.