Frosted Swan

Identification: With their distinctive white plumage, mute swans are one of the largest waterfowl in North America weighing up to 13kg. Adults... more

by Geraldine DeBoer

Title

Frosted Swan

Artist

Geraldine DeBoer

Medium

Photograph - Print

Description

Identification: With their distinctive white plumage, mute swans are one of the largest waterfowl in North America weighing up to 13kg. Adults grow to 1.50m in length with wingspans up to 2.4m. Their orange beak with the black basal knob and terminal nail distinguishes mute swans from all other species of swans. Mute swans have webbed feet that range in color from black to grey-pink. While swimming, the birds hold their necks in a characteristic “S” shaped curve. Juvenile mute swans, or cygnets, have grey or white colored down. Their grey or tan beaks lack the characteristic basal knob of the adults. As their name suggests, mute swans are generally silent. They lack the loud discernable calls often characteristic of other bird species. The few sounds made by the mute swans can only be heard from a short distance and include puppy-like barking noises, hissing sounds and high-pitched whistles. On the contrary, the bird’s wing beating behavior during flight can be heard over very long distances

Uploaded

September 2nd, 2015