Swans
Swan Info & Listing of Species ... Photo Gallery
Swans are large water birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae. The nameord is derived from Old English swan, akin to German schwan, in turn derived from Indo-European root *swen (to sound, to sing), whence Latin derives sonus (sound). (Webster's New World Dictionary).
Young swans are known as cygnets, from the Latin word for swan, cygnus. The male and female adults are known as cob and pen.
Swans can live up to 35 years - but usually their life span is only 10 - 20 years.
The average swans weigh 15 kilos. Their length is 130-150cm and their wingspan 200-250cm.
Breeding / Nesting:
Swans usually mate for life, though "divorce" does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch is between 3-8.
During the nesting period, it is important to stay away from swans as they are very protective of their nest and young and can get very aggressive towards anyone they feel poses a thread to them.
The Diet of Swans: Foods they should eat and foods to avoid
Swan Species
Australian Black (Cygnus atratus)
Bewick's Swans: Cygnus (columbianus) bewickii is the Eurasian form which migrates from Arctic Russia to western Europe and eastern Asia (China, Japan) in winter. It is often considered a subspecies of C. columbianus, creating the species Tundra Swan
Black-necked Swans: Cygnus melancoryphus, South America
Black Swans: Cygnus atratus of Australia, and introduced in New Zealand
Coscoroba Swans: Coscoroba coscoroba, South America
Jankowski's Swan (aka Whistling Swan, Bewick's Swan, Alpheraky's Swan)
Mute Swans aka Common Swan, Wild Swan, Tame Swan (Cygnus olor) : Cygnus olor, is a common temperate Eurasian species, often semi-domesticated; descendants of domestic flocks are naturalized in the United States and elsewhere.
New Zealand Swans: Cygnus (atratus) sumnerensis, an extinct subspecies of the Black Swan from New Zealand and the Chatham Islands.
Trumpeter Swans: Cygnus buccinator is a North American species very similar to the Whooper Swan (and sometimes treated as a subspecies of it), which was hunted almost to extinction but has since recovered.
Tundra Swans / Whistling Swans
Whistling Swans / Tundra Swans
Whooper Swans: Cygnus cygnus breeds in Iceland and subarctic Europe and Asia, migrating to temperate Europe and Asia in winter.
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