The Bewick's Swan breeds on Arctic tundra, across northern Russia from the Kanin Peninsula to Kolyuchin Bay in the Chukchi Sea. Two populations have been identified in the Western Palearctic: the first is very small, breeding in northwestern Siberia and wintering in the Caspian, and the other breeds mainly in northeast European Russia and winters primarily in Denmark, The Netherlands, Britain and Ireland.

The first co-ordinated census of Bewick's Swans took place in Britain in winter 1956/57. Around 1,600 birds were recorded, with a further 2,700 in Ireland. In January 2000, 7,360 were found in Britain and Ireland, representing just over 26% of the Northwest European population.