We all see large birds flying in formation overhead often during migratory season in the spring and fall, but how do you tell the different species of birds apart when they are so high in the sky that you only see their silhouette?
Swan in flight |
In the case of the Swans, the first time I saw them I only recognized that they were different by the way that the sunlight bounced off them as they flew by overhead. I was lucky to be able to provide you with an example of this in the picture at the beginning of this post. As you can see if you enlarge the picture.
In fact, at one point as I watched the birds, the sunlight made the wings seem almost transparent. They use their wings more loosely, or fluidly compared to the Canada Goose, and their wing span is larger by about a foot. Swans also have a noticeably longer necks than the Canada Goose, which is easy to see, even at a distance in their dark silhouette . Fortunate timing and closer view of the swans reveal that this particular Swan is a Trumpeter Swan, as it's beak is black as well as it's feet.
Canada Geese |
Notice the difference in the way the wings are held on the down sweep by the Canada Goose when compared to the Swan in the pictures above and below.
Swan |
While both the Canada Goose and Swan carries it's neck stretched out straight in flight, I noticed that the Swan holds is neck angled slightly downward and the curve in the neck of the Swan near the shoulders is slightly deeper when I happened to get a closer view.
Canada Geese in flight |
Migrating Swans |
Descriptions are all very well but I wanted to provide you also with a visual of differences. Although the pictures above are not very good, you will still be able to note the difference in the flight silhouette of the geese in comparison to the swans. If you double click on the picture of the Geese, zoom in and look closely, you will notice the lighter coloring of the belly. I sincerely hope this was helpful to you in distinguishing between these two birds in flight during migration.
Note: An interesting fact: young Bald Eagles will also migrate in flocks utilizing classic flight formation.
Susan
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