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Glite Dictionary
Bewick's swan

Bewick's swan

8.8
A small white swan from Europe and Asia with a yellow and black beak
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : cisne de Bewick
  • The Bewick's swan can be distinguished by its smaller size and unique bill pattern.

Examples

  • Researchers observed a flock of Bewick's swan migrating across northern Europe.

  • Did you spot a Bewick's swan during your birdwatching trip?

  • During the winter, many Bewick's swan visit the wetlands of the UK.

  • The Bewick's swan is often seen in northern Europe.

  • During the winter, many Bewick's swan visit the wetlands of the UK.

  • The Bewick's swan can be distinguished by its smaller size and unique bill pattern.

  • Researchers observed a flock of Bewick's swan migrating across northern Europe.

Synonyms

Cygnus columbianus bewickii
vsBewick's swan
  • UK
9.9

A small white tundra swan in Europe and Asia with a yellow and black bill

is the common English name used in everyday contexts

Surface Forms

Bewick's swan singular
Bewick's swans plural

Morphology

Bewick's + swan

The head noun 'swan' makes the core meaning (a kind of swan) immediately clear to a learner who knows that word, while 'Bewick's' is a proper name marking an eponymous variety. Learners can therefore infer it refers to a specific type of swan but cannot derive the particular identifying features (size, bill coloration, range) from the constituents alone, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bewick's swan was named after Thomas Bewick, an English artist who drew the small white swan with a yellow-and-black beak in his bird picture books. So, the bird came to be 'called' Bewick's swan today.