Baking: Whooper Swan

 

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Cygnus cygnus

Length: 59 in Weight: 18 lbs

Identification:

Similar to Tundra Swan, but larger and with more extensive yellow on the bill, extending to beyond the nostrils.

WOSW

Distribution: 

Predominantly a Eurasian swan, but small numbers breed on the far western Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Birds are occasionally spotted on the Alaskan mainland, and rarely along the Pacific coast.

Cool Facts:

The Whooper Swan is pronounced “hooper swan.”

This swan is the national bird of Finland, and is featured on the Finnish 1 euro coin. The birds were hunted to near extinction in that country in the mid 1900s, but after being adopted as a flagship species for conservation, swan numbers rebounded, and the bird is now a cultural icon that appears on the labels of many Finnish products.

Make your own bird cookies!

Cookie recipe

Homemade cookie cutter guide

References:

University of Michigan

Iconic Finnish Nature Symbols Stand Out, Fran Weaver, 2014

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