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Tundra "Whistling" Swan Swimming This and the preceding pastel pencil, Tundra "Whistling" Swan Stretching, were conceived as a pair. The swimming whistler with its characteristic neck straight up was executed similarly on black paper and completed within the same month. The Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus, is a small swan with populations throughout the Arctic region. A subspecies, the Whistling Swan, breeds in the Canadian North in the tundra areas of Hudson's Bay west to Alaska and winters in the Chesapeake Bay marshes of the United States. Contrary to its common name, the ground call of this swan is not a whistle but a high-pitched honking similar to a Canada Goose. This all white swan, with black feet and a black bill has a small yellow spot at the base of the upper mandible. Unlike the Mute Swan that bends its neck in a graceful curve, this swan characteristically holds its neck straight up. Healthy adult birds have few natural predators. Although numbers are stable over most of its range, they are increasingly dependent on agricultural crops to supplement their winter diet due to loss of aquatic vegetation in their winter habitat as a result of habitat destruction and water pollution. The original pastel pencil is in a private collection but limited edition prints and note cards are available. Click here for availability and price.