Visual Search | Wizard | Browse

Bird name:

Mute Swan

Cygnus olorOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Codes: Common Name: MUSW Scientific Name: CYGOLO ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174985

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Mudflats, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Thought to pair for life

Breeding Population:

Common but local

Egg Color:

Light gray or blue green.

Number of Eggs:

4 - 8

Incubation Days:

35 - 38

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Plant material and down.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Mute Swan: Aggressive bird, entirely white, orange bill with large black basal knob and naked black lores. Curved neck is often stained with pigments from iron or algae. Female similar but smaller, juveniles are brown-gray.

Range and Habitat

Mute Swan: Prefers freshwater, salt marshes, and protected bays.

Breeding and Nesting

Mute Swan: Four to eight light gray or blue green eggs layed in a mounded nest of reeds, grasses and other plants ususally near water, lined with down, incubated by both sexes for 35 to 38 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Mute Swan: Collects aquatic plants from underwater.

Vocalization

Mute Swan: Generally silent but not mute. Song is a varity of hisses, barks and snorts.

Similar Species

Mute Swan: Tundra Swan holds neck straight, has black bill without knob and naked yellow lores.

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Mute Swan

Mute Swan: Aggressive bird, entirely white, orange bill with large black basal knob and naked black lores. Curved neck is often stained with pigments from iron or algae. Legs and feet are black. Feeds on aquatic plants collected from bottom. Direct flight with strong steady wing beats.

● Song: "ssssssssssss; "kloorrr"

● Foraging & Feeding: Mute Swan: Collects aquatic plants from underwater.

● Breeding & nesting: Mute Swan: Four to eight light gray or blue green eggs layed in a mounded nest of reeds, grasses and other plants ususally near water, lined with down, incubated by both sexes for 35 to 38 days.

● Similar species: Mute Swan: Tundra Swan holds neck straight, has black bill without knob and naked yellow lores.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with strong steady wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Mute Swan: Prefers freshwater, salt marshes, and protected bays.

^BreedingMonogamous, Thought to pair for life

^PopulationCommon but local

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight416 Ounces

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Mute Swan

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Mute Swan

Flight Pattern