whistling swan

American  

noun

1. the small North American subspecies, Cygnus columbianus columbianus, of the tundra swan.

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whistling swan British  

noun

1. a white North American swan, Cygnus columbianus, with a black bill and straight neck Compare mute swan

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Etymology

Origin of whistling swan

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Mason Neck State Park attracts herons, bald eagles, whistling swans and many duck species, and there are oak, hickory and holly forests.

From Washington Post

The whistling swan being more of a northern bird, rarely migrating as far south as central California.

From Project Gutenberg

Snow buntings, whistling swans, snow geese, ducks in myriads—flacker and clacker and hold solemn conclave on the adjoining rocks, as though this were their realm from the beginning and for all time.

From Project Gutenberg

It so closely resembles the whistling swan that only an ornithologist can recognize the difference, a yellow spot on the side of the upper mandible, near its base.

From Project Gutenberg

There were also large flocks of the whistling swan or hooper, one of the finest species of North America.

From Project Gutenberg