- Cygnus olor
Identification
- L. 127-152 cm (50-60 in)
- W. 208-238 cm (82-94 in)
- Wt. 5500-14300 g (12-31 lbs)
Adult
- White plumage
- Bright orange bill with black knob at base
- Male larger, with larger knob
Juvenile
- Dull, greyish-brown, or in some areas, almost white
- Grey bill without knob
Distribution
A native of northern and central Eurasia. It is a common resident throughout lowland British Isles, north and central France and east to Denmark and Germany. A summer visitor to southern Norway, southern Sweden and extreme south Finland and Poland and the Baltic States. Also breeds around the northern shores of the Black and Caspian Seas and in parts of Turkey.
In the west most are descended from introduced or feral birds and in Britain especially, live in close association with man. Bred ferally in Iceland in the 1960s but extinct since 1977.
Vagrant to Iceland and the Faroes, Morocco, Spain and the Canary Islands, Mediterranean islands and the Azores.
Birds found anywhere else in the world, have been intoduced as an ornamental species in parks and estates. In North America escaped birds have established feral populations in many areas, particularly around the Great Lakes and along the Atlantic coast. Their aggressive behaviour can threaten native waterfowl species and some states are trying to control this species
Taxonomy
Habitat
Breeds in town parks, flooded gravel-pits, reservoirs and natural wetlands, as well as in protected bays with brackish to salty water. Slow-flowing rivers and large, shallow lakes, often in estuaries and on sheltered coasts out of the breeding season.
Behaviour
It is a very aggressive bird, especially during the breeding season
Movement
Often swims with it's wings arched and it's neck in an S-curve, giving it a very graceful appearance. The neck is fully outstretched in flight
Breeding
The Mute Swan mates for life, but if one of the pair should die, the other will remate.
The nest is a large mound of vegetation; reeds, grass and other water plants, including seaweed for coastal populations. It is either built on an island or a well vegetated reedy bank. They lay from 5-9 large, greenish-white eggs, usually during April in the UK
Diet
Includes aquatic plants, by tipping up like a dabbling duck.
Vocalisation
Generally silent, but does make hissing and grunting noises. In addition, the sound of the wings in flight is characteristic if one is close enough to hear it.
<flashmp3>Cygnus olor (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
In Culture
In the UK the Crown owns all unmarked Mute Swans on the River Thames. An annual census (called Swan-upping) is carried out in July, to mark, count and check the health of the population.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- The Royal Windsor Website
- Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
- The Observer's Book of Birds' Eggs ISBN 0723200602
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Mute Swan. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mute_Swan
External Links
