Mute Swan Identification Guide
Its scientific name is 'Cygnus olor', from the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes)
What I look like
The Mute Swan is a bird of very large size. It measures about one and a half meters.
It is massive with a long neck, a small head, and a long tail.
It has white plumage.
Its bill is orange-red with a frontal knob and black nostrils.
The male and female look alike. The male is a bit larger and its bill is brighter during the breeding season.
Juveniles have gray-brown plumage with some variations. Their bill is dark gray then gradually lightens.
My songs, my calls
The Mute Swan makes blowing sounds "woarh-woarh".
To show aggression, it hisses like a snake.
In flight, its wing beats are loud. This whistling flight replaces the call used by other species.
How I behave
The Mute Swan is heavy. It waddles when it walks.
To take off, it must run on the water while flapping its wings strongly.
It flies with its neck outstretched, at a speed of about eighty kilometers per hour.
On the water, it has a graceful head carriage with its head held low, unlike geese which keep their beaks horizontal.
It holds its neck straight…
or curved in an "S" shape.
To threaten an intruder, it spreads its wings and lowers its head onto its back.
How I reproduce
The Mute Swan builds its nest on the ground or in shallow water.
It constructs a large nest which can be made of reeds or algae if it settles near the coast.
The female plucks some of her belly down to line the nest, which will contain a clutch of 5 to 12 eggs.
This favors egg incubation and helps retain heat in the nest when the female is absent.
It can be very aggressive during the nesting period.
The newborns can be light gray or white.
What I eat
The Mute Swan feeds on plants, mollusks, and insects.
It dips its head underwater and stretches its neck deeply…
It also grazes in grassy areas…
It sifts through the mud with its bill to find food.
Where to find me
The Mute Swan lives on lakes often with reed beds, but also near coasts.
It tolerates freezing if there are ice-free areas.
Thus, there are resident populations in Western Europe.
Northern and eastern populations are migratory.
It winters often in marine waters.
It can live about twenty years in the wild, but up to thirty or forty years in captivity.