Birds of a Feather, Flock Together

Swans are the largest and one of the most beautiful of the water-
fowl. A male is known as a cob, a female is a pen, and the young are
called cygnets. Odd fact: It has been said that a swan can have as many
as 25,000 feathers. Swans are found to float on ponds such as the one
shown in the picture. They are members of the duck family, and there
are seven different species. A swan is long-necked and has more neck
vertebrae than any other bird—a total of 23. Swans feed on roots of
aquatic plants and as a result, may be responsible for a decline in habitat
available for other waterfowl.
Many times swans mate for life and remain together. Their first
breeding usually takes place at 3 or 4 years old. The females do most of
the egg incubation and usually have an average of five eggs. Incubation takes approximately 30 days.
The swans are the largest members of the waterfowl family Anatidae, and are among the largest flying birds. The largest species, including the
mute swan, trumpeter swan, and whooper swan, can reach length of over 1.5 m (60 inches) and weigh over 15 kg (33 pounds). Their wingspans can
be almost 3 m (10 ft). Compared to the closely related geese, they are much larger in size and have proportionally larger feet and necks. They also
have a patch of unfeathered skin between the eyes and bill in adults. The sexes are alike in plumage, but males are generally bigger and heavier than
females.
The Northern Hemisphere species of swan have pure white plumage but the Southern Hemisphere species are mixed black and white. The
Australian Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is completely black except for the white flight feathers on its wings; the chicks of black swans are light grey
in colour, and the South American Black-necked Swan has a black neck.
The legs of swans are normally a dark blackish grey colour, except for the two South American species, which have pink legs. Bill colour
varies: the four subarctic species have black bills with varying amounts of yellow, and all the others are patterned red and black. Although most birds
generally do not have teeth, swans are known to be an exception to this, having small jagged 'teeth' as part of their beaks used for catching and eating
fish. The Mute Swan and Black-necked Swan have a lump at the base of the bill on the upper mandible.
Swans feed in the water and on land. They are almost entirely herbivorous, although they may eat small amounts of aquatic animals. In the
water food is obtained by up-ending or dabbling, and their diet is composed of the roots, tubers, stems and leaves of aquatic and submerged plants.
The lifespan of the mute swan is often over 10 years, and sometimes over 20, whereas the black-necked swan survives for less than a decade
in captivity.