Mute Swan

The mute swan is a large white water bird with a long, graceful neck that it often curves into a soft S shape. It has an orange bill with a black knob at the top, which makes it easy to tell apart from other swans. Males are a little bigger than females, and both glide across the water looking calm and elegant.

Mute swans live on lakes, ponds, rivers, and quiet coastal waters. They are native to Europe and parts of Asia, and long ago people brought them to North America, where they now live in many places too. In winter some of them move to warmer water near the sea.

These swans are mostly plant eaters. They dip their long necks right under the water to reach the leafy plants growing on the bottom, and they also nibble grasses on land. Now and then they eat a few small water insects or fish along with their green meals.

Mute swans build big nests from reeds and grass near the water’s edge. A pair usually stays together for many years and often fixes up the same nest each spring. The mother keeps the eggs warm for about five weeks, and when the cygnets hatch, both parents look after them. Sometimes the little ones ride on their mother’s back, tucked between her wings.

Their name is a bit of a puzzle, because mute swans are not really silent. They are just quieter than other swans, making soft grunts and hisses instead of loud honks. When they fly, their broad wings make a lovely throbbing, whistling sound that you can hear from far away.

There are plenty of mute swans in the world, so they are not in danger. People still help them by keeping wetlands clean, moving old lead fishing weights that can make them sick, and marking power lines so the big birds do not fly into them.