Page 92 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WILDFOWL
Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae Species Cygnus olor
Mute Swan grey-brown plumage grey
becomes blotched
bill
white

outstretched all-white
neck plumage
JUVENILE
black facial knob
ADULT
reddish orange bill,
IN FLIGHT
angled down
relatively long,
pointed tail

ADULT long neck,
often curved
or upright
large, familiar bird,
A strikingly white and obvious
even at great range, the Mute Swan is generally quite tame, even FLIGHT: heavy but powerful, direct, with neck
semi-domesticated in its behaviour and choice of habitat.Territorial outstretched; strong, regular wingbeats produce
pairs are aggressive, even to people or their dogs, using impressive throbbing sound.
displays of arched wings and loud, hissing calls. In some
floodplains, small groups regularly feed on dry
land, a habit that is more consistent with the
two “wild swans”, Bewick’s and Whooper.
VOICE Strangled trumpeting and hissing notes. THREAT
NESTING Huge pile of vegetation at water’s DISPLAY
When threatened, the
edge; up to 8 eggs; 1 brood; March–June. Mute Swan raises its
FEEDING Plucks vegetable matter from short wings like sails, lowers
grass in fields and salt marshes, pulls the same its head, and makes a
from shallow water, or upends in deeper water. loud, rough hiss.

SHELTERED
YOUNG
Small cygnets seek
shelter and refuge
between the wings
of a parent swan.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Many breed on park lakes and
other small pools, others on
BEWICK’SSWAN wedge-shaped natural lakes, reservoirs, and
see p.92 head rivers, almost throughout Europe;
black and black
yellow bill and in W Europe, commonly seen on
yellow sheltered sea coasts and marshes.
bill NEST May join other swans feeding on
The nest is a large mound of flat, open fields.
vegetation built at the water’s
WHOOPER SWAN edge. The female lays up to Seen in the UK
smaller see p.91 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
8 eggs and incubates them.
Length 1.4–1.6m (4 1 ⁄2 –5 1 ⁄4ft) Wingspan 2.08–2.38m (6 3 ⁄4 –7 3 ⁄4ft) Weight 10–12kg (22–26lb)
Social Small flocks Lifespan 15–20 years Status Secure
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