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Mute Swan

Birds

Mute Swan

The mute swan is a large waterbird native to much of Europe and Asia and introduced to North America, Australia and elsewhere, familiar for its pure white plumage, gracefully curved neck and the orange bill with a black basal knob that distinguishes it from other swan species. Despite its name, it is not actually silent, producing hisses, grunts and a distinctive throbbing sound from its wingbeats in flight, though it is generally quieter than other swans that use loud trumpeting calls. Mute swans feed mainly on aquatic plants, which they reach by upending in shallow water, and pairs are famously monogamous, often staying together for life and aggressively defending their nesting territory and cygnets against intruders. Long kept as an ornamental bird on lakes and rivers across much of the world, the mute swan has become an invasive species of concern in parts of North America, where it can outcompete native waterfowl.

Facts

Classification

Diet

Herbivore 2

System (Realm)

Terrestrial 3

System (Realm)

Freshwater 3

System (Realm)

Marine 3

Relationship to People

Invasive or Introduced Species 4

Living or Extinct

Yes 5

Comparison

NatureServe Rank

G5 Secure 6

CITES Appendix

Not Listed 7

Identification

Distinguishing Appearance

A large swan, wholly white in plumage, with a long curved neck and an orange bill bordered in black with a black knob at the base. 1

Scientific Name

Cygnus olor 5

Conservation Status

Least Concern 4

Connections

Child Taxon Of

Source Catalogue of Life

In Biome

Source Wikipedia: Mute Swan

Source Wikipedia: Mute Swan

In Ecosystem

Source Wikipedia: Mute Swan

Source Wikipedia: Mute Swan

In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Dominican Republic

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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United Arab Emirates

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Sources

1. Mute Swan (Wikipedia)

Description section

Quote, Description section

this large swan is wholly white in plumage, with an orange beak bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the beak, which is larger in males.

2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)

3. GBIF Species API

GBIF Species APIView the Source

4. Wikipedia: Mute Swan

Wikipedia

system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly, relationship to people)
It is an introduced species in North America, home to the largest populations outside of its native range, with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and Southern Africa.
Infobox: status
LC
In Ecosystem: Great Lakes, North America
For example, a study of population sizes in the lower Great Lakes from 1971 to 2000 found that mute swan numbers were increasing at an average rate of at least 10% per year, with the population doubling every seven to eight years.
In Ecosystem: Caspian Sea, Migration
Many birds in West and Central Asia move south in winter to the shores of the Caspian Sea, as far as Iran and Afghanistan, more birds will move south during harsher winters.
In Biome: Lake, Behaviour
Unlike black swans, mute swans are usually strongly territorial, with just a single pair on smaller lakes, though in a few locations where a large area of suitable feeding habitat is found, they can be colonial.
In Biome: Estuary, Behaviour
A notable flock of non-breeding birds is found on the River Tweed estuary at Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northeastern England, with a maximum count of 787 birds.

View the Source

5. Wikidata: Mute Swan

Wikidata

Wikidata Q25402, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
Wikidata Q25402 (P225 taxon name)

View the Source

6. NatureServe Explorer: Cygnus olor

NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)

Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)

"roundedGRank": "G5"

View the Source

7. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Cygnus olor (Animal Diversity Web)

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITES

Quote, Conservation Status: CITES

CITES No special status

View the Source

Catalogue of Life

Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: AnseriformesView the Source

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