Afghanistan (NB), Albania (B) (NB), Armenia (NB), Austria (B) (NB), Azerbaijan (B) (NB), Belarus (B) (NB), Belgium (B) (NB), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria (B) (NB) (P), China (mainland), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B) (NB), Cyprus (NB), Czech Republic (B) (NB), Denmark (B) (NB) (P), Estonia (B) (NB) (P), Finland (B) (NB) (P), France (B) (NB) (P), Germany (B) (NB) (P), Greece (B) (NB), Hungary (B) (NB), India, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (NB), Iraq (NB), Ireland (B) (NB), Israel, Italy (B) (NB), Japan, Kazakhstan (B), Kyrgyzstan (NB), Latvia (B) (NB) (P), Liechtenstein (B) (NB), Lithuania (B) (NB) (P), Luxembourg (B) (NB), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (B) (NB), Moldova [Republic of] (B) (NB) (P), Mongolia (B), Montenegro (B) (NB), Netherlands Antilles (B) (NB), North Korea (P), Norway (B) (NB) (P), Pakistan, Poland (B) (NB) (P), Romania (B) (NB) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B) (P), Russia (European) (B) (NB) (P), Serbia (B) (NB), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B) (NB) (P), Slovenia (B) (NB), South Korea (NB), Spain (NB), Sweden (B) (NB) (P), Switzerland (B) (NB), Taiwan (China), Turkey (B) (NB), Ukraine (B) (NB) (P), United Kingdom (B) (NB), Uzbekistan.
Vagrant to Bahrain, Bermuda, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Portugal, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates.
Introduced to Australia (B), Canada (NB), Faroe Islands (B), Iceland (B), New Zealand (B), South Africa, USA (B).
British Is, central and northern Europe east through central Asia to eastern China. Feral populations in North America, Japan, South Africa, south-western Australia and New Zealand.
Food
Mainly aquatic plants. Also small frogs, fish and insects.
Voice
Most silent. Hoarse trumpeting, snorting and a loud hiss when angry. Yong birds utter a high-pitched whitsle. In flight, a non-vocal, loud, throbbing 'waou, waou' made by the flapping of the wings.
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) [XC879427]
by Olivier SWIFT from Saint-Vigor-d'Ymonville, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, MSH070, France (call)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) [XC855822]
by Paul Kelly from Tacumshin Lake (East End), County Wexford, France (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Late winter and spring (July - October), but in parks where birds are sheltered and fed, can be at any time.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Nest
Large heap of vegatation, on islands or among vegatation in shallows of fresh water.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 7 or more; green-white; oblong-oval; about 116 x 80 mm. Incubation: 35 - 36 days; both sexes, but particularly by female.
Young
Cygnets leave nest after one or two days but remain with parents. Can fly after about 4 months.
Subspecies
Despite its all white plumage, apparently linked more closely to Southern Hemisphere species (<Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)) than to northern swans. Hybridization with Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) recorded in captivity.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet