The Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus columbianus), also known as the Tundra Swan, was named by William Yarrell after Thomas Bewick who was an engraver of birds and animals. Bewick is best known for his A History of British Birds, which is admired today mainly for its wood engravings, especially the small, sharply observed, and often humorous vignettes known as tail-pieces. The book was the forerunner of all modern field guides. The Bewick’s Swan is similar to the Whooper Swan except it is smaller, has a shorter neck with a more rounded head and always has more black than yellow on its bill. Bewick’s swans breed largely in the Russian tundra, hence its alternative name of Tundra Swan.
