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Anatidae Mute Swan Trumpeter Swan Whooper Swan

Swans are generally found in temperate environments, rarely occurring in the tropics. A group of swans is called a bevy or a wedge[16] in flight. Four (or five) species occur in the Northern Hemisphere, one species is found in Australia, one extinct species was found in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, and one species is distributed in southern South America. They are absent from tropical Asia, Central America, northern South America and the entirety of Africa. One species, the mute swan, ha

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25 views1 page

Anatidae Mute Swan Trumpeter Swan Whooper Swan

Swans are generally found in temperate environments, rarely occurring in the tropics. A group of swans is called a bevy or a wedge[16] in flight. Four (or five) species occur in the Northern Hemisphere, one species is found in Australia, one extinct species was found in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, and one species is distributed in southern South America. They are absent from tropical Asia, Central America, northern South America and the entirety of Africa. One species, the mute swan, ha

Uploaded by

Cezara Teodorescu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Swans are the largest extant 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 a length of over 1.5 m (59 in) and weigh over 15 kg (33 lb). Their wingspans can be over
3.1 m (10 ft).[10] Compared to the closely related geese, they are much larger and have proportionally
larger feet and necks.[11] Quite unusual for birds, swans have "teeth" - jagged parts of their bill that
are used for catching and eating fish.[12] Adults also have a patch of unfeathered skin between the
eyes and bill. The sexes are alike in plumage, but males are generally bigger and heavier than
females.[9]
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. The South
American black-necked swan has a white body with a black neck.[13]
Swans' legs 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 birds do not have teeth,
swans have beaks with serrated edges that look like small jagged 'teeth' as part of their beaks used
for catching and eating aquatic plants and algae, but also molluscs, small fish, frogs, and worms.
[14]
 The mute swan and black-necked swan have lumps at the base of their bills on the upper
mandible.[15]

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