noun
Eurasian subspecies of tundra swan; smaller than the whooper
• Syn: ↑Cygnus columbianus bewickii
• Hypernyms: ↑tundra swan, ↑Cygnus columbianus
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\\ˈbyüik(s)ˈs-\ noun also bewick swanUsage: usually capitalized B
Etymology: after Thomas Bewick died 1828 English wood engraver who illustrated a book about birds
: a white swan (Cygnus bewicki) of northern Asia and northeastern Europe that occasionally appears in western Europe in winter and is smaller than the whooper swan with a smaller and more orange patch of naked skin in front of the eye
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a tundra swan subspecies, Cygnus columbianus bewickii, of Eurasia, having white plumage, black legs, and a yellow patch on a black bill.
[1820-30; after T. BEWICK]
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Bewick's swan /būˈiks swon/
noun
A small white swan (Cygnus bewickii) native to N Asia and NE Europe, that winters occasionally in W Europe
ORIGIN: T Bewick (1753–1828), English wood engraver, illustrator of History of British Birds
Useful english dictionary. 2012.