Mute Swan: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Cranes, Flamingos and Herons · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. To dodge rivals, mute swans can dive several meters and travel 40-50 m underwater. They do not dive while feeding.
2. Busking is a threat pose: neck curved back, wings half raised. Swans also use it to windsurf for several hundred meters.
3. Cygnets grow fast, reaching close to adult size about three months after hatching. They keep their grey feathers for at least a year.
4. Mute swans can nest in colonies of over 100 pairs, with nests sometimes only 2 m apart.
5. Mute swans breeding in Mongolia, eastern Russia and China fly thousands of kilometres south-east for winter. The trip takes 30-32 days.

The quiz

1. How far can a mute swan travel underwater to avoid rivals?

• 10-20 m
• 40-50 m (correct)
• 100 m
• 5 m

Mute swans can dive and cover 40-50 m underwater to avoid rivals.

2. What can swans also use the busking pose for?

• Sleeping
• Courting a mate
• Windsurfing over several hundred meters (correct)
• Drying their feathers

Besides threatening, swans use the busking pose for wind-assisted travel over several hundred meters.

3. How long after hatching do cygnets reach close to adult size?

• About three months (correct)
• About one week
• About one year
• About two years

Cygnets reach close to adult size about three months after hatching.

4. How close together can mute swan nests be in a colony?

• 20 m
• 10 m
• 5 m
• 2 m (correct)

In big colonies nests can be only 2 m apart.

5. How long does the swans' journey to their wintering grounds take?

• 10-12 days
• 30-32 days (correct)
• 60-62 days
• About one year

The migration takes 30-32 days.

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