Rev Edward Brain, D.D.: /* Gallery */

2017-04-14T21:58:20Z

‎Gallery

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Mute swan
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{cite journal | author = BirdLife International | author-link = BirdLife International | title = ''Cygnus olor'' | journal = [[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] | volume= 2012 | page = e.T22679839A40128183 | publisher = [[IUCN]] | year = 2012 | url = http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22679839/0 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22679839A40128183.en | accessdate = 27 August 2016}}</ref>
| image = Mute_swan_Vrhnika.jpg
| image_width =
| genus = Cygnus
| species = olor
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1789)
| synonyms =
* ''Anas olor'' {{Taxobox_authority | author = Gmelin | date= 1789}}
* ''Sthenelides olor'' ({{Taxobox_authority | author = Gmelin | date= 1789}})
* ''Cygnus immutabilis'' {{Taxobox_authority | author = Yarrell | date= 1838}}
| range_map = Mute_Swan_Range.png
| range_map_caption = Global range{{leftlegend|#007F00|Year-Round Range|outline=gray}}{{leftlegend|#E0CF01|Summer Range|outline=gray}}{{leftlegend|#0080FF|Winter Range|outline=gray}}
}}
The '''mute swan''' (''Cygnus olor'') is a [[species]] of [[swan]] and a member of the [[waterfowl]] family [[Anatidae]]. It is native to much of [[Eurasia]], and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an [[introduced species]] in North America, [[Australasia]] and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less vocal than other [[swan]] species.<ref name=Hoyo>{{cite book |editor1-last=del Hoyo |editor1-first=Josep |editor2-last=Elliott |editor2-first=Andrew |editor3-last=Sargatal |editor3-first=Jordi |date=1992 |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=1, Ostrich to Ducks |publisher=Lynx Edicions |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-87334-10-5 |pages=577–78}}</ref><ref name=Snow>{{cite book |last1=Snow |first1=D. W. |last2=Perrins |first2=C. M. |date=1998 |title=The Birds of the Western Palearctic |edition=Concise |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-854099-X}}</ref><ref name=Madge>{{cite book |last1=Madge |first1=S. |last2=Burn |first2=H. |date=1987 |title=Wildfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World |publisher=A & C Black |isbn=0-7470-2201-1}}</ref> Measuring {{convert|125|to|170|cm|abbr=on}} in length, 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.

==Taxonomy==

The mute swan was first formally described by the German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] as ''Anas olor'' in 1789, and was transferred by [[Johann Matthäus Bechstein]] to the new genus ''Cygnus'' in 1803. It is the [[type species]] of the genus ''Cygnus''.<ref name=Cheng>{{cite book |author=Tso-hsin Cheng |date=1987 |title=A Synopsis of the Avifauna of China |publisher=Science Press |location=Beijing |pages=48–49 |isbn=3-490-12518-5}}</ref> Both ''cygnus'' and ''olor'' mean "swan" in [[Latin]]; ''cygnus'' is a variant form of ''cycnus'', a borrowing from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|κύκνος}} ''kyknos'', a word of the same meaning.<ref>{{L&S|cycnus1|cycnus}}, {{L&S|olor1|olor|ref}}</ref><ref name=Liddell1980>{{LSJ|ku/knos|κύκνος|ref}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Simpson |first=D. P. |date=1979 |title=Cassell's Latin Dictionary |edition=5th |publisher=Cassell |location=London |isbn=0-304-52257-0}}</ref><ref>{{OEtymD|cygnet}}</ref>

Despite its Eurasian origin, its closest relatives are the [[black swan]] of Australia and the [[black-necked swan]] of South America, not the other Northern Hemisphere swans.<ref name=Hoyo/> The species is [[monotypic]] with no living [[subspecies]].<ref name=Hoyo/><ref name=Madge/>

==Evolution==
Mute swan subfossils, 6,000 years old, have been found in post-glacial peat beds of [[East Anglia]], Great Britain.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Northcote |first=E. M. |date=1981 |title=Size difference between limb bones of recent and subfossil Mute Swans (''Cygnus olor'') |journal= J. Archaeol. Sci. |doi=10.1016/0305-4403(81)90014-5 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=89–98}}</ref> They have been recorded from Ireland east to Portugal and Italy,<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Palmer |editor-first=Ralph S. |date=1976 |title=Handbook of North American Birds |volume=2 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |isbn=0300019025 |pages=}}</ref> and from France, 13,000 [[Before Present|BP]] (Desbrosse and Mourer-Chauvire 1972–1973).{{full citation needed|date=November 2012}} The [[paleosubspecies]] ''[[Cygnus olor bergmanni]]'', which differed only in size from the living bird, is known from fossils found in [[Azerbaijan]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

Fossils of swan ancestors more distantly allied to the mute swan have been found in four U.S. states: California, Arizona, Idaho and Oregon.<ref name=Jeff05>{{cite book |editor1-last=Jefferson |editor1-first=George T. |editor2-last=Lindsay |editor2-first=Lowell |date=2005 |title=Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert |publisher=Sunbelt Publications |isbn=9780932653505 |page=153}}</ref> The timeline runs from the [[Miocene]] to the late [[Pleistocene]], or 10,000 BP. The latest find was in Anza Borrego Desert, a state park in California.<ref name=Jeff05/> Fossils from the [[Pleistocene]] include ''[[Cygnus paloregonus]]'' from Fossil Lake, Oregon, Froman's Ferry, Idaho, and Arizona, referred to by Howard in ''[[The Waterfowl of the World]]'' as "probably the mute type swan".<ref>{{cite book |title=The Waterfowl of the World |pages=262–265}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Cygnus olor ML0002.jpg|thumb|right|Two mute swan cygnets a few weeks old. The cygnet on the right is of the "Polish swan" colour morph, and carries a gene responsible for [[leucism]].]]

Adults of this large swan typically range from {{Convert|140|to|160|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, although can range in extreme cases from {{Convert|125|to|170|cm|in|abbr=on}}, with a {{Convert|200|to|240|cm|in|abbr=on}} wingspan.<ref name=Madge1982>Madge, Steve, ''Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (1992), ISBN 978-0-395-46726-8</ref><ref>Mullarney, K., Svensson, L, Zetterstrom, D., & Grant, P.J. (1999) Collins Bird Guide. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., London p. 14</ref> Males are larger than females and have a larger knob on their bill. On average, this is the second largest waterfowl species after the [[trumpeter swan]], although male mute swans can easily match or even exceed a male trumpeter in mass.<ref name= Madge/><ref>del Hoyo, et al., ''Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks (Handbooks of the Birds of the World)''. Lynx Edicions (1992), ISBN 978-84-87334-10-8</ref> Among standard measurements of the mute swan, the wing chord measures {{convert|53|-|62.3|cm|in|abbr=on}}, the tarsus is {{convert|10|-|11.8|cm|in|abbr=on}} and the bill is {{convert|6.9|-|9|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name= Madge/>

The mute swan is one of the heaviest flying birds. In several studies from Great Britain, males (known as ''cobs'') were found to average from about {{convert|10.6|to|11.87|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with a weight range of {{Convert|9.2|-|14.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}} while the slightly smaller females (known as ''pens'') averaged about {{convert|8.5|to|9.67|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with a weight range of {{Convert|7.6|-|10.6|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name= Madge/><ref name = "CRC">''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.</ref><ref>Sears, J. (1989). ''Feeding activity and body condition of mute swans Cygnus olor in rural and urban areas of a lowland river system''. Wildfowl, 40(40), 88-98.</ref><ref>Reynolds, C. M. (1972). ''Mute Swan weights in relation to breeding''. Wildfowl, 23(23), 8.</ref><ref>Bacon, P. J., & Coleman, A. E. (1986). ''An analysis of weight changes in the Mute Swan Cygnus olor''. Bird Study, 33(3), 145-158.</ref> While the top normal weight for a big cob is roughly {{convert|15|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, one unusually big Polish cob weighed almost {{Convert|23|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and this counts as the largest weight ever verified for a flying bird, although it has been questioned whether this heavyweight could still take flight.<ref name="Wood">{{cite book |last=Wood |first=Gerald |date=1983 |title=The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats |isbn=978-0-85112-235-9}}</ref>

Young birds, called cygnets, are not the bright white of mature adults, and their bill is dull greyish-black, not orange, for the first year. The down may range from pure white to grey to buff, with grey/buff the most common. The white cygnets have a [[leucistic]] gene. Cygnets grow quickly, reaching a size close to their adult size in approximately three months after hatching. Cygnets typically retain their grey feathers until they are at least one year old, with the down on their wings having been replaced by [[Flight feather]]s earlier that year.

All mute swans are white at maturity, though the feathers (particularly on the head and neck) are often stained orange-brown by iron and tannins in the water.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Mute Swan {{!}} Birds of Eden |publisher=Birds of Eden |url=http://www.birdsofeden.co.za/index.php?comp=article&op=view&id=708 |accessdate=26 March 2014}}</ref>

The [[morph (zoology)|morph]] ''immutabilis'' ("Polish swan") has pinkish (not dark grey) legs and dull white cygnets; as with white [[domestic geese]], it is only found in populations with a history of domestication.<ref name=Cramp>{{cite book |editor-last=Cramp |editor-first=S. |date=1977 |title=The Birds of the Western Palearctic |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-857358-8}}</ref> Polish swans carry a copy of a gene responsible for [[leucism]].

==Behavior==
[[File:Drilon, Pogradec (17).jpg|thumb|right|Nest in [[Drilon]], [[Albania]]. The cob (male) is patrolling the area close to the nest to protect his mate.]]
Mute swans nest on [[bird nest#Mound|large mounds]] that they build with waterside vegetation in shallow water on islands in the middle or at the very edge of a lake. They are monogamous and often reuse the same nest each year, restoring or rebuilding it as needed. Male and female swans share the care of the nest, and once the cygnets are fledged it is not uncommon to see whole families looking for food.They feed on a wide range of vegetation, both submerged aquatic plants which they reach with their long necks, and by grazing on land. The food commonly includes agricultural crop plants such as [[oilseed rape]] and [[wheat]], and feeding flocks in the winter may cause significant crop damage, often as much through trampling with their large webbed feet, as through direct consumption.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Parrott |first=D. |last2=McKay |first2=H. V. |date=2001 |title=Mute swan grazing on winter crops: Estimation of yield loss in oilseed rape and wheat. Mute swans occasionally eat insects, amphibians and smaller birds |journal=J. Crop Protection |doi=10.1016/s0261-2194(01)00041-2 |volume=20 |pages=913–919}}</ref>

Unlike [[black swan]]s, 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. The largest colonies have over 100 pairs, such as at the colony at [[Abbotsbury Swannery]] in southern England, and at the southern tip of [[Öland]] Island, [[Ottenby]] Preserve, in the coastal waters of the [[Baltic Sea]], and can have nests spaced as little as {{Convert|2|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} apart.<ref name=Cramp/><ref>{{cite book |last=Hogan |first=C. M. |date=2006 |title=Environmental Database for Oland, Sweden |publisher=Lumina Press}}</ref> Non-mated juveniles up to 3–4 years old commonly form larger flocks, which can total several hundred birds, often at regular traditional sites.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=P. |author2=Wildfowl Trust |date=1972 |title=Behavioral patterns of juvenile Mute Swans}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Berwick Swan and Wildlife Trust |url=http://www.swan-trust.org/berwick_swans.htm}}</ref> A large population exists near the Swan Lifeline Station in [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]], and live on the Thames in the shadow of [[Windsor Castle]]. Once the adults are mated they seek out their own territories and often live close to ducks and gulls, which may take advantage of the swan's ability to reach deep water weeds, which tend to spread out on the water surface.{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}}

The mute swan is less vocal than the noisy whooper and Bewick's swans; they do, however, make a variety of grunting, hoarse whistling, and snorting noises, especially in communicating with their cygnets, and usually hiss at competitors or intruders trying to enter their territory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/mute_swan/sounds|title=Mute Swan|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|access-date=29 April 2016}}</ref> The most familiar sound associated with mute swan is the vibrant throbbing of the wings in flight which is unique to the species, and can be heard from a range of {{Convert|1|to|2|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}, indicating its value as a contact sound between birds in flight.<ref name=Cramp/> Cygnets are especially vocal, and communicate through a variety of whistling and chirping sounds when content, as well as a harsh squawking noise when distressed or lost.

[[File:Hoeckerschwan Bluecherpark Köln Gelege.jpg|thumb|Nesting in spring, [[Cologne]], Germany]]
Mute swans can be very aggressive in defence of their nests. Most defensive attacks from a mute swan begin with a loud hiss and, if this is not sufficient to drive off the predator, are followed by a physical attack. Swans attack by smashing at their enemy with bony spurs in the wings, accompanied by biting with their large bill. The wings of the swan are very powerful, though not strong enough to break an adult man's leg, as said anecdotally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/600-699/nb616.htm|title=Classroom Resources - Argonne National Laboratory|work=anl.gov}}</ref> Large waterfowl, such as [[Canada goose|Canada geese]], (more likely out of competition than in response to potential predation) may be aggressively driven off, and mute swans regularly attack people who enter their territory.<ref name= NY/> The cob is responsible for defending the cygnets while on the water, and will sometimes attack small watercraft, such as canoes, that it feels are a threat to its young. The cob will additionally try and chase the predator out of his family territory, and will keep animals such as foxes and raptors at bay. In New York (outside its native range), the most common predators of cygnets are [[common snapping turtle]]s.<ref name= NY>{{cite web |title=Mute Swan |publisher=New York Department of Environmental Conservation |url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7076.html |accessdate=3 May 2012}}</ref> Healthy adults are rarely predated, though [[canid]]s such as [[coyote]]s, [[felid]]s such as [[lynx]]es, and [[bear]]s can pose a threat to infirm ones (healthy adults can usually swim away from danger unless defending nests) and there are a few cases of healthy adults falling prey to [[golden eagle]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=ADW: Cygnus olor: INFORMATION |publisher=Animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cygnus_olor.html |accessdate=3 May 2012}}</ref><ref name= Watson>{{cite book |last=Watson |first=Jeff |date=2011 |title=The Golden Eagle |edition=Second |isbn=978-0-30017-019-1}}</ref> In England, there has been an increased rate of attacks on swans by out-of-control dogs, especially in parks where the birds are less territorial. This is considered criminal in British law, and the birds are placed under the highest protection due to their association with the Monarch.<ref>https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/protection_of_swans_from_attack</ref>

The familiar pose with neck curved back and wings half raised, known as busking, is a threat display. Both feet are paddled in unison during this display, resulting in more jerky movement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Topic: Busking |publisher=Bird On! Bird Care |url=http://www.birdcare.com/bin/showdict?busking |accessdate=26 March 2014}}</ref> The swans may also use the busking posture for wind-assisted transportation over several hundred meters, so-called windsurfing.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Terenius|first=Olle|date=2016-09-01|title=Windsurfing in Mute Swans (Cygnus olor)|url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.1676/1559-4491-128.3.628|journal=The Wilson Journal of Ornithology|volume=128|issue=3|pages=628–631|doi=10.1676/1559-4491-128.3.628|issn=1559-4491}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcSQ4G6hlog|title=Windsurfing Mute Swan|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref>

==Breeding==

Mute swans lay from four to ten eggs, and the female broods for around 36 days. The cygnets do not reach the ability of flight before an age of 120 to 150 days: this limits the distribution of the species in the northern edge of its range, as the cygnets must learn to fly before the waters freeze.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

==Distribution and habitat==

The mute swan is found naturally mainly in temperate areas of Europe across western Asia, as far east as the [[Primorsky Krai|Russian Maritimes]], near Sidemi.<ref name="Dementev67">{{cite book |last1=Dement'ev |first1=G. P. |last2=Gladkov |first2=N. A. |date=1967 |title=Birds of the Soviet Union |volume=IV |publisher=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Translation |location= |isbn= |pages= }}</ref>

It is partially [[bird migration|migratory]] throughout northern latitudes in Europe and Asia, as far south as north Africa and the Mediterranean. It is known and recorded to have nested in Iceland and is a vagrant to that area, as well as to Bermuda, according to the [[UN Environment Programme]] chart of international status chart of bird species, which places it in 70 countries, breeding in 49 countries, and vagrant in 16 countries.{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}} While most of the current population in Japan is introduced, mute swans are depicted on scrolls more than a thousand years old, and wild birds from the mainland Asian population still occur rarely in winter. Natural migrants to Japan usually occur along with whooper and sometimes Bewick's swans.{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}}

The mute swan is protected in most of its range, but this has not prevented illegal hunting and [[poaching]]. It is often kept in captivity outside its natural range, as a decoration for parks and ponds, and escapes have happened. The descendants of such birds have become naturalised in the eastern United States and [[Great Lakes]], much as the [[Canada goose]] has done in Europe.{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}}

===World population===

====Native populations====
[[File:Mute swans (Cygnus olor) and cygnets.jpg|thumb|right||Mute swans with cygnets in [[Oxfordshire]]]]
[[File:CygnusOlorJuvenile.jpg|thumb|right|Mute swan cygnet in [[Vanhankaupunginlahti]], Finland]]
The total native population of mute swans is about 500,000 birds at the end of the breeding season (adults plus young), of which 350,000 are in the [[former Soviet Union]].<ref name=Hoyo/> The largest single breeding concentration is 11,000 pairs in the [[Volga Delta]].<ref name=Snow/>

The population in the United Kingdom is about 22,000 birds, as of the 2006–2007 winter,<ref name=WeBS>{{cite book |last1=Austin |first1= G. |last2=Collier |first2=M. |last3=Calbrade |first3=N. |last4=Hall |first4=C. |last5=Musgrove |first5=A. |date=2008 |title=Waterbirds in the UK 2006/07 |publisher=Wetland Bird Survey |location= Thetford |isbn=978-1-906204-33-4}}</ref> a slight decline from the peak of about 26,000-27,000 birds in 1990.<ref name=Snow/> This includes about 5,300 breeding pairs, the remainder being immatures.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Helen |last2=Stroud |first2=David A. |last3=Aebischer |first3=Nicholas J. |last4=Cranswick |first4=Peter A. |last5=Gregory |first5=Richard D. |last6=McSorley |first6=Claire A. |last7=Noble |first7=David G. |last8=Rehfisch |first8=Mark M. |date=January 2006 |title=Population estimates of birds in Great Britain and the United Kingdom |journal=British Birds |volume=99 |pages=25–44 |url=https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/APEP21.pdf
|format=PDF}}</ref> Other significant populations in Europe include 6,800-8,300 breeding pairs in Germany, 4,500 pairs in Denmark, 4,000-4,200 pairs in Poland, 3,000-4,000 pairs in the Netherlands, about 2,500 pairs in Ireland, and 1,200-1,700 pairs in Ukraine.<ref name=Snow/>

For many centuries, mute swans in Britain were domesticated for food, with individuals being marked by nicks on their webs (feet) or beaks to indicate ownership. These marks were registered with the Crown and a Royal Swanherd was appointed. Any birds not so marked became Crown property, hence the swan becoming known as the "Royal Bird". It is quite possible that this domestication saved the swan from being hunted to extinction in Britain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northwestswanstudy.org.uk/old/muteswan.htm|title=About Mute Swans|work=northwestswanstudy.org.uk}}</ref><ref name="thamesweb.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/swans/upping2.html|title=Swan Upping on the River Thames - History by The Royal Windsor Web Site|work=thamesweb.co.uk}}</ref><ref name="thamesweb.co.uk"/>

Populations in western Europe were largely exterminated by hunting pressure in the 13th–19th centuries, with the exception of semi-domesticated birds maintained as [[poultry]] by large landowners. Better protection in the late 19th and early 20th centuries allowed birds to return to most or all of their former range.<ref name=Ticehurst>{{cite book |last=Ticehurst |first=N. E. |date=1957 |title=The Mute Swan in England |publisher=Cleaver-Hume Press |location=London}}</ref><ref name=Holloway>{{cite book |last=Holloway |first=S. |date=1996 |title=The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875–1900 |publisher=Poyser |location=London |isbn=0-85661-094-1}}</ref> More recently in the period from about 1960 up to the early 1980s, numbers declined significantly again in many areas, primarily due to [[lead poisoning]] from birds swallowing discarded [[fishing sinker]]s made from [[lead]]. After lead weights were replaced by other less toxic alternatives, mute swan numbers increased again rapidly.<ref name=Snow/>

====Introduced populations====
Since being introduced into North America, the mute swan has increased greatly in number, to the extent that it is considered as an [[invasive species]]. Populations introduced into other areas remain are small, with around 200 in Japan, fewer than 200 in New Zealand and Australia, and about 120 in South Africa.<ref name=Hoyo/>

=====North America=====

The mute swan was introduced to North America in the late 19th century. Recently, it has been widely viewed as an [[invasive species]] because of its rapidly increasing numbers and its adverse effects on other [[waterfowl]] and native [[ecosystem]]s. 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, doubling the population every seven to eight years.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Petrie |first1=Scott A. |last2=Francis |first2=Charles M. |date=2010 |title=Rapid increase in the lower Great Lakes population of feral mute swans: a review and a recommendation |journal=Wildlife Society Bulletin |volume=31 |issue=2 |page=407 |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14981898}}</ref> Several studies have concluded that mute swans severely reduce densities of submerged vegetation where they occur.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Allin |first1=Charles C. |last2=Husband |first2=Thomas P. |date=September 2003 |title=Mute Swan (''Cygnus olor'') impact on submerged aquatic vegetation and macroinvertebrates in a Rhode Island coastal pond |journal=Northeastern Naturalist |issn=1092-6194 |doi=10.1656/1092-6194(2003)010[0305:MSCOIO]2.0.CO;2 |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=305–318}}</ref>

In 2003, the [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] proposed to "minimize environmental damages attributed to Mute Swans" by reducing their numbers in the [[Atlantic Flyway]] to pre-1986 levels, a 67% reduction at the time. According to a report published in the ''[[Federal Register]]'' of 2003<ref>{{cite journal |last=Williams |first=Steve |title=Finding of No Significant Impact and Final Environmental Assessment for the Management of Mute Swans in the Atlantic Flyway |journal=Federal Register |volume=68 |issue=152 |page=47085 |url=http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/pdf/03-20281.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref> the proposal was supported by all thirteen state wildlife agencies which submitted comments, as well as by 43 bird conservation, wildlife conservation and wildlife management organisations. Ten [[animal rights]] organisations and the vast majority of comments from individuals were opposed. At this time mute swans were protected under the [[Migratory Bird Treaty Act]] due to a court order, but in 2005 the [[United States Department of the Interior]] officially declared them a non-native, unprotected species.<ref name=USDI>{{cite web |title=Final List of Bird Species to Which the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Does Not Apply |url=http://www.dodpif.org/downloads/MBTRA_70FR372final.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref> Mute swans are protected in some areas of the U.S. by local laws, as for example in [[Connecticut]].<ref>{{cite news |date=24 December 2007 |title=Bird lovers, Conn. are at odds on swans |newspaper=Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/12/24/bird_lovers_conn_are_at_odds_on_swans/ |accessdate=7 April 2009}}</ref>

The status of the mute swan as an introduced species in North America is disputed by the [[interest group]] "Save the Mute Swans".<ref>{{cite web |title=Mute Swan Advocacy |publisher=Mute Swan Advocacy |url=http://muteswanadvocacy.com/ |accessdate=3 May 2012}}</ref> They assert that mute swans are native in the region and therefore deserving of protection. They claim that mute swans had origins from Russia and cite historical sightings and fossil records. These claims have been rejected as specious by the U.S. Department of the Interior.<ref name=USDI/>

=====Oceania=====
The mute swan had absolute protection in New Zealand under the [[Wildlife Act 1953]] but this was changed in June 2010 to a lower level of protection. It still has protection, but is now allowed to be killed or held in captivity at the discretion of the Minister of Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 June 2010 |title=Protection status changes to Wildlife Act |publisher=New Zealand Government |url=http://feeds.beehive.govt.nz/release/protection+status+changes+wildlife+act}}</ref>

A small feral population exists in the vicinity of [[Perth]], Australia, however is believed to number less than 100 individuals.

==In popular culture==
[[File:Jan Asselijn - De bedreigde zwaan; later opgevat als allegorie op Johan de Witt - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''[[The Threatened Swan]]'' ({{circa}} 1650) by [[Jan Asselijn]]]]

A mute swan was shown on the [[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Ireland)#2004 coinage|2004 commemorative Irish Euro coin]] to mark [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|the accession of the 10 new member states]] which occurred during the Irish [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|Presidency of the European Union]].

The mute swan has been the national bird of Denmark since 1984. Prior to that, the [[skylark]] was considered Denmark's national bird (since 1960).

The fairy tale "[[The Ugly Duckling]]" by [[Hans Christian Andersen]] tells the story of a cygnet ostracised by his fellow barnyard fowl because of his perceived homeliness. To his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a graceful swan, the most beautiful bird of all.

In the famous ballet ''[[Swan Lake]]'', the main character, Princess Odette and her companions are turned into swans by a wicked spell.

Today, the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British Monarch]] retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but Queen [[Elizabeth II]] only exercises her ownership on certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tributaries. This ownership is shared with the [[Worshipful Company of Vintners|Vintners']] and [[Worshipful Company of Dyers|Dyers']] Companies, who were granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the 15th century.<ref>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/SwanUpping/SwanUpping.aspx British Monarchy website] regarding swan upping and the Crown's ownership of Mute Swans.</ref>

The mute swans in the [[moat]] at the [[Bishop's Palace, Wells|Bishops Palace]] at [[Wells Cathedral]] in [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]], England have for centuries been trained to ring bells via strings attached to them to beg for food. Two swans are still able to ring for lunch.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Swan Watch: The Bishop's Swans
| url = http://www.bishopspalacewells.co.uk/swan-watch
| accessdate = 4 September 2013
}}</ref>

The pair of swans in the [[Boston Public Garden]] are named Romeo and Juliet after the [[Romeo and Juliet|Shakespearean couple]]; however, it was found that both are female.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Slack
| first = Donovan
| date = 12 August 2005
| title = Thou art no Romeo
| work = The Boston Globe
| url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/08/12/thou_art_no_romeo/
| accessdate = 26 December 2009
}}</ref>

[[Camille Saint-Saëns]] composed a movement called ''[[Le cygne]]'' in ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]''. It is played by solo cello and two pianos and represents a swan gliding over the water (cello) and the ripples it creates (pianos). Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page also wrote an instrumental song called Swan Song in 1974.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
Knolsvanar.jpg|Finding food underwater
Cygnus olor-pjt1.jpg|Mute swan in flight
Cygnus olor-pjt2.jpg|Flock in flight
Cygnus olor -Grand Canal, Dublin, Ireland -landing-8 (3).jpg|Landing on water
Cygnus olor MWNH 0938.JPG|Mute swan egg
Swan-(Cygnus-olor)-1956.jpg|1956 Finnish stamp with a mute swan
Four Mute Swans.jpeg|Four mute swans along the bank of the [[Etobicoke Creek]].
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Swan Upping]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Cygnus olor|the mute swan}}
{{wikispecies|Cygnus olor}}
* {{ARKive}}
* {{InternetBirdCollection|mute-swan-cygnus-olor|Mute swan}}
* [http://www.yourdnasong.com/videos.htm mtDNA Mute Swan video] The mitochondrial DNA sequence of 'Cygnus olor' translated into music.
* {{VIREO|Mute+Swan|Mute swan}}

{{Poultry}}
{{taxonbar}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:swan, mute}}
[[Category:Cygnus (genus)|mute swan]]
[[Category:Swans|mute, swan]]
[[Category:Birds of Asia]]
[[Category:Birds of Europe]]
[[Category:Birds of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Birds of North America]]
[[Category:Birds of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Megafauna of Eurasia]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1789]]

Mute swan - Revision history

Moderator: 1 revision

Rev Edward Brain, D.D.: /* Gallery */

← Older revision	Revision as of 20:02, 16 May 2026
(No difference)