Whooper swans, Kotoku Pond, Japan

Whooper swans

In Japan's colder months, there's a morning moment when stillness breaks—not with wind or footsteps, but with a bright, rolling call that sweeps across the water. Whooper swans have touched down. One loud whoop—and winter suddenly feels awake. These birds migrate from Siberia and the Russian Far East, choosing Japan as their seasonal home because its lakes offer what long-distance travellers crave: open water, steady food and a safe place to rest. One of their favourite destinations is Kotoku Pond in the Kantō region on Japan's largest island.

Whooper swans make an impression from the start, with tall necks, white feathers and yellow-and-black bills. Add a call that carries kilometres and they become impossible to miss. Families migrate together, keep close on the water and coordinate flights with those trumpet-like notes. At places like Kotoku Pond, dawn departures are the highlight. While in Japan, their diet is simple: grains, aquatic plants and grasses. Moreover, healthy wetlands attract them and their return each winter signals that the ecosystem is thriving.