2 |
![]() |
Mute Swan![]() Size: 1.25-1.7 m; wing span 2.0-2.4 m Weight: 9.2-14.3 kg (male), 7.6-10.6 kg (female) |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
See Mute
Swan at Wikipedia |
||||||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Photos |
![]() |
ADULT |
![]() |
MALE |
Close-up frontal portrait of a male Mute Swan; note the knob atop the bill
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2014]
Close-up frontal view of a male Mute Swan
(photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[River Rhein, Eltville, Hessen, December 2012]
Frontal view of a male Mute Swan on the charge
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Norfolk Broads, Norfolk, England, UK, September 2013]
Close-up near-lateral view of a male Mute Swan
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Schierstein, Rheingau, Germany, March 2013]
Close-up near-lateral view of a male Mute Swan
(photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[River Rhein, Eltville, Hessen, December 2012]
Near-lateral view of a male Mute Swan; note the pronounced knob
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]
Lateral view of a male Mute Swan in an urban park
[Wassenaar, The Netherlands, 1998]
Near-dorsal view of a posturing male Mute Swan
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Albufeira do Peso, Brotas, Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2019]
Male Mute Swan banking to land on water
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Albufeira do Peso, Brotas, Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2019]
Skein of Mute Swans in flight (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Grüner Brink, Fehmarn, Germany, May 2019]
Skein of Mute Swans in flight near the coastline of the Baltic Sea
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Grüner Brink, Fehmarn, Germany, May 2019]
![]() |
FEMALE |
Frontal view of a female Mute Swan
[River Rhein, Eltville, Hessen, June 2010]
Near-frontal view of a female Mute Swan
[River Rhein, Eltville, Hessen, June 2010]
Lateral portrait of a female Mute Swan; a male's knob is larger
[River Rhein, Eltville, Hessen, June 2010]
Close-up lateral view of a female Mute Swan
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Fehmarn, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, April 2016]
Female Mute Swan with two juveniles (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]
![]() |
IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a first-summer(?) Mute Swan; note the pale bill
and the grey tinge
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[River Rhine, between Walluf and Eltville, Hessen, Germany, May 2022]
Near-dorsal view of two first-summer Mute Swans
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Neuharlingersiel, Ostfriesland, Germany, June 2021]
Mute Swans with three juveniles
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, August 2022]
Male Mute Swan, back right, with three juveniles
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Lake Constance, Germany, September 2022]
Adult female Mute Swan, front left, with three juvenile birds
and a cygnet [obscured] (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Cochem, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, September 2018]
Two juvenile Mute Swans
and a cygnet on the left (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Cochem, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, September 2018]
Dorsal view of a Mute Swan moulting from its grey juvenile
plumage into
adult plumage
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Walluf, Hessen, Germany, October 2016]
Near-frontal view of two cygnets (photo courtesy
of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]
Lateral view of 5 cygnets (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]
Family of Mute Swans with cygnets on a lake (photo courtesy
of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]
Frontal view of a Mute Swan cygnet
[River Lahn, Hessen, June 2010]
Near-lateral view of a Mute Swan cygnet
[River Lahn, Hessen, June 2010]
Near-lateral view of a preening Mute Swan cygnet
[River Lahn, Hessen, June 2010]
Family of Mute Swans with small cygnets
[River Lahn, Hessen, June 2010]
![]() |
Breeding information |
Breeding season: Mar - Jun(?) | Eggs: 4 - 7 | Incubation period: 34 - 45 days | Fledging age: 120 - 150 days |
Nest building: ? | Incubation: Female | Dependent care: Female & male |
![]() |
Nest |
Type: Basket | Material: Aquatic plants | Height above ground: N/A |
Female Mute Swan on its nest made of reeds and lined with feathers
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Schierstein, Hessen, Germany, April 2017]
![]() |
Eggs |
Size: 113 x 74 mm | Colour: Creamy | Shape: Ellipsoidal |
Female Mute Swan tending to its eggs
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Schierstein, Hessen, Germany, April 2017]
![]() |
Food, Diet |
Mute Swans feeding on grass near their nest with eggs in it
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Schierstein, Hessen, Germany, April 2017]
Mute Swan (with cygnets) upending to feed on underwater plants
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Schierstein, Hessen, Germany, April 2017]
Juvenile Mute Swan trying its luck with some kind of fruit
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. James's Park, London, England, September 2019]
![]() |
Behaviour |
Mute Swans can become surprisingly tame. C. Pears related the story of a wild pair of Mute Swans deciding to nest in someone's back garden in Devon, England, and one of their offspring then staying on with its partner, raising a brood every year over a period of more than 20 years.
Family of Mute Swans making their home in a garden backing onto a river
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Devon, England, October 2013]
![]() |
Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
mutswan_jp_20190413.m4a | (Portugal) | ? | © JP |
More Mute Swan sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.