Birds are generally very striking animals. Within its great diversity we find species of different colors, plumages, songs, with the ability or not to fly or with migratory behavior. Its taxonomy includes the family Anatidae, which are birds of aquatic environments or associated with them.
In this article on our site we talk about a specific type of duck bird, the swan, to learn about its peculiarities. We invite you to continue reading and learn all about the swans, types, characteristics, feeding and habitat.
Characteristics of swans
Swans are the largest anatidae birds that exist, which, together with other features, makes them both striking and beautiful animals, which has motivated their inclusion in art and in the literature. These are the characteristics of the swans:
- Size: they reach weights between 6 and 15 kg, approximately. Regarding its dimensions, an adult swan can reach a wingspan of about 3 meters. There is no sexual dimorphism, but males can eventually be larger than females.
- Neck: Its long neck is another distinctive feature to recognize a swan. The neck is also the longest of any anatid bird.
- Color: depending on the species, swans can be white, blackor combine these two colors In some cases they are born with other colors, such as light gray or brown, but when they grow they acquire one of the colors mentioned.
- Pico: it is robust and, like the plumage, at birth the color can be different from that of an adult. In any case, it will finally be orange, black or their combination, depending on the species.
- Legs: being aquatic animals, they have webbed feet, with a membrane that facilitates swimming. In fact, some species walk on dry land with some limitation.
- Song: some species are more vocal than others, but, in general, swan songs can be heard as whistles, snorts or growls.
Types of swans
We highlight the following species of swans:
- Mute Swan (Cygnus olor): large and white in color, it differs from others of the same color because its bill Although it is orange, it has a black bump. The base and tip of the beak are also that color.
- Black Swan (Cygnus atratus): although when they are young they can be gray or brown, in adulthood their plumage turns black and, in some cases, have white feathers on the wings. This species is also large in size and has a long, arched neck.
- Black-necked Swan (Cygnus melancoryphus): this species contains the smallest individuals of the genus. They are the only ones with a white body and both a black neck and head. The bluish-gray bill has a red or scarlet bump at the base.
- Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus): its body plumage is white, but its beak is black and has a yellow base. The legs are also black. Eventually their necks can darken at some times of the year.
- Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinador): It is the largest species that inhabits North America. Initially they are grayish swans, but as they grow, they turn white. Similarly, initially the peaks have pink tones and a black base. The black spreads over the entire beak as it grows.
- Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus): This species of swan is large and generally white in color. It has a black beak and legs and a yellow coloration that goes from the eye to the beak, sometimes in the form of a tear.
Swan Habitat
We already know that swans are found in aquatic environments, but surely you have wondered where swans live in particular. This is the distribution of swans in the world:
- Mute Swans: they inhabit bodies of fresh water, generally shallow. They are native to the British Isles, both central and northern Europe and Asia. They tend to make migrations to Africa, India and Korea. It is common to find them in lagoons, marshes, reedbeds and rivers with few currents. They always opt for clean waters full of plants. They can also grow in reservoirs or ornamental lakes.
- Black Swans: Although they are native to Australia, they have also been introduced to New Zealand, Europe and North America. They can live in fresh or brackish waters of rivers, swamps and lakes with vegetation. They can also be found in flooded lands to forage for food.
- Black-necked swans: they are native to South America, living in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and the Malvinas Islands. They live in shallow coastal areas, but also in lakes and inland freshwater bodies with abundant vegetation.
- Whooper Swans: they are typical of Europe and Asia. They inhabit shallow freshwater or coastal areas such as lakes, slow-flowing rivers, swamps, and floodplain areas. It is also common for them to live on the islands near the aforementioned continents.
- Trumpeter Swans: They are native to Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States in general. It is common to observe them on land, but always associated with bodies of fresh, s alty or brackish water. They resist temperate and polar temperatures.
- Tundra swans: they have a wide distribution, inhabiting America, Europe, Asia and Africa. They are birds of migratory habits. They are associated with various types of freshwater bodies, such as lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, rivers, and meadows.
What do swans eat?
The diet of swans varies according to the species In addition, they can obtain their food underwater, for which they submerge their long neck, or feed on land on the vegetation present. But not all swans are herbivores. Depending on the species and the habitat, it is true that they consume various types of aquatic vegetation, grasses and algae, but also insects, fish and tadpoles.
The swans herbivores are black and tundra, while singers, although they mainly consume plants, sometimes include some small animals in their diet. For their part, trumpeters at birth consume certain invertebrates, but when they grow they become exclusively herbivorous swans. Lastly, the omnivorous swans are mute and black-necked.
How do swans reproduce and are born?
Swans tend to mate for life, unless one dies and the other is still of reproductive age, in which case the one who could join another individual. Thus, in general, they are monogamous, with the exception of the mute swan, which can have several reproductive partners and may even separate permanently from one of them.
These birds have courtships prior to copulation, which consist of movements of the wings and neck and the emission of sounds, which They vary depending on the species and they generally occur in the water. Swans usually build nests on mounds in or near water. These are characterized by being the largest of the group of Anatidae birds, reaching up to two meters.
Commonly nest independently, but may form small or large nesting groups. In general, it is the female who incubates, but, on occasions, the male can collaborate in this task. Swan eggs are large and lay from two to ten, depending on the species. The color is also different depending on the group, and can be greenish, cream or white. Swans hatch after an incubation period of 35 to 45 days
Regarding the behavior of the chicks, there are variations between the species. We highlight the following:
- Mute Swan: the chicks leave the nest the day after they hatch and the male usually takes the first one to hatch to the water. It is common for the little ones to ride on their mothers. At 60 days they begin their flight and in the following reproductive season they are chased away from the group by their own parents to join other non-breeding specimens for about two years.
- Black Swan: newborns stay in the nest for about three weeks and fledge in about 5-6 months to start flight. They remain in the family group for about nine months. Later they meet with juvenile gangs 2-3 years before reproducing.
- Black-necked Swan: These chicks fledge at about ten weeks, but can stay with their parents for a little over a year. Although they are sexually mature at two years of age, they do not form reproductive bonds until they are three.
- Whooper Swan: at birth the chicks already have feathers and stay 2-3 days in the nest. The full development of the feathers ends at three months. About six begin to fly. They are usually independent at one year, but do not reproduce until they are four.
- Trumpeter Swan: the chicks the day after hatching already enter the water. They fledge after three months and become independent after a year.
- Tundra Swan: These birds are born feathered, but they don't manage to fly until they are two months old. They stay with their parents for about two years, developing closer bonds with the mother.
Conservation status of swans
The conservation status of all swan species is Low Concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In fact, there are even species, such as the mute swan or the trumpeter, that are considered to be in population growth. For their part, the black swan and the black neck are estimated to be stable. The rest of the species, such as the whooper swan and the tundra swan, given that they have a wide distribution range and large populations, are marked as unknown.
