Swan Facts

About the swan

Six swan species are alive today. Northern Hemisphere swans are pure white, while southern species mix black and white plumage. Australia's black swan is all black except for white flight feathers. The largest kinds, such as mute, trumpeter and whooper swans, can top 1.5 m in length and 15 kg, with wingspans past 3.1 m. Compared with geese, swans have bigger feet and longer necks.

Pairs usually stay together for life, though they may split after a failed nest, and a widowed swan will find a new partner. A clutch holds three to eight eggs. Males and females look alike, but males are generally larger. Long ago, a flightless giant, Cygnus falconeri, lived on Malta and Sicily before dying out.

Did you know?

• Baby swans are cygnets, adult males are cobs and adult females are pens.
• A group of swans can be called a bevy or a wedge.
• The English word swan likely traces to an old root meaning to sound or sing.