whistling swan


Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia.
Related to whistling swan: Bewick's swan, tundra swan

whis·tling swan

(wĭs′lĭng, hwĭs′-)
n.
A subspecies (Cygnus columbianus subsp. columbianus) of the tundra swan found in North America and having a clear, honking call and a black beak with a yellow spot at the base.
[Named by Meriwether Lewis after its call, the first part of which reminded him of whistling.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

whistling swan

n
(Animals) a white North American swan, Cygnus columbianus, with a black bill and straight neck. Compare mute swan
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

whis′tling swan′


n.
a North American swan, Cygnus columbianus columbianus, a subspecies of the tundra swan.
[1775–85]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.whistling swan - North American subspecies of tundra swan having a soft whistling notewhistling swan - North American subspecies of tundra swan having a soft whistling note
Cygnus columbianus columbianus
Cygnus columbianus, tundra swan - swan that nests in tundra regions of the New and Old Worlds
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
John Haynes Williams' whistling swan decoy went for more than $348,000, the most ever for such a decoy and the artist.
22 world records set during Christie's Rockefeller auction
They are now considered to be a race of the tundra swan, which also includes the whistling swan of North America.
Conservationist's incredible flight with swans on their 4,500-mile migration journey; An astonishing 4,500-mile trip by powered paraglider is set to throw new light on the migration of wildfowl, write Chris Kelsey and Emily Beament
Whistling Swan welcomes Grammy Award-winner Patty Griffin, one of America's finest singer-songwriters, for her first ever performances in Southcentral Alaska.
Events calendar
Since he sells only wholesale, the name Baker Bill may be unfamiliar, but his products are served by many local eateries including the Sturbridge Host Resort, the Whistling Swan in Sturbridge, Annie's Country Kitchen in Sturbridge, Sully's Dog Shack in Dudley and My Brother's Place in Webster.
Dudley bakery aims for wholesomeness; Shop to use 'clean ingredients'
In "The Whistling Swan," the young pianist Hubert Redd returns from Paris after his wealthy patron, a married man who, the story insinuates, was intimately involved with Hubert, abruptly ends his financial support.
Hello, South of France
But the common wild swan of North America, the whistling swan, breeds in northern Canada and migrates south.
Summer's swan song: as summer gives way to fall, this celestial bird seems to be starting its own migration south
-A NORTH American Whistling Swan has taken up residence on a farm pool at Kirkintilloch, Strathclyde.
PETS AND THEIR PEOPLE: BIRDWATCH: Chick alert has goose's gander up
Other resident companies include the Anchorage Opera, Anchorage Concert Association, Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Alaska Junior Theater, Whistling Swan Productions, Alaska Chamber Singers, the Anchorage Concert Chorus, and the Anchorage Festival of Music.
ALASKA DANCE THEATER EYES RESIDENCY STATUS
Their typical call--a brassy, sonorous honk (usually a two-note oh-OH!)--lends them their common name and is one of the few ways to distinguish them from their close relatives in the vocal genus Cygnus: the Eurasian whooper and mute, and the North American and European whistling swan (known as the tundra or Beckwick's swan).
Gaining ground: a swan's song
"In 1898 Elliott, a very reliable observer, wrote that a whistling swan shot from a considerable height over Currituck Sound, N.C., by a member of his hunting party, at once began its |song' as it fell, which continued until it struck the water almost half a mile away.
Snow geese rising
For years, the Whistling Swan was the main restaurant here, and the house-like Greek Revival building still bears that name in homage to its long history.
For delicious steak and fish, try The Duck
In the case of a familiar building that once housed two of the town's well-known eating establishments, The Whistling Swan and The Ugly Duckling, a makeover this past spring has turned both into a peacock.
Renovations revitalize Sturbridge eateries; Partnership brings changes to well-known Main St. building

Dictionary browser ?
Full browser ?