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| Wetlands & Waterfowl's Guide to North American Waterfowl: | |||
| Click to load: American Bittern American Widgeon Black- Crowned Night Heron Black Duck Blue-Winged Teal Canada Goose Canvasback Cattle Egret Common Egret Cinnamon Teal Gadwall Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green-Winged Teal Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Mallard Mute Swan Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Redhead Ring-Necked Snowy Egret Snow Goose Trumpeter Swan Wood Duck |
Mute Swan Scroll down for details  Scientific Name: Cygnus
olor Habitat: marshes and shallow ponds Appearance: 56-62" long. Large and white, beak orange with black knob on top. Unlike Trumpeter, Mute holds its long neck in a graceful S-curve. often seen swimming with secondary wing feathers raised, sail-like. Food: Aquatic grasses and plants Nesting: Nest is a large mass of grasses and twigs found at edge of water. Female lays 3-7 blue-grey eggs and incubates with help from the male for about 35 days. Young are downy, leave nest soon after hatching, and stay with parents until the next breeding season. |
The Mute Swan was introduced into the U.S. from
Europe in the mid 1800's to grace the ponds of estates and parks. There are now thousands
of these birds living wild in the U.S.. In Europe, the Mute Swan was domesticated for food
and the use of its feathers as quills, wing bones for whistles, and leathery web for
purses. It is a popular misconception that Mute Swans pair for life and that a bird will
pine to death when its partner dies. This is far from true, with some birds having as many
as 4 mates in a life time, and in some cases actually 'divorcing' a mate in favour of a
new one. Research does show that well established pairs tend to be more successful at
raising their young. Mute Swans have been known to live for over 25 years, but most only
survive to 5 or 6 years old. Many cygnets die in their first 12 months, often due to
flying accidents. Additional Photographs: |
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