No.306 · Birds · Common

Mute swan

Cygnus olor

One of Britain's heaviest flying birds: pure white, with an S-curved neck and an orange bill with a black knob at the base. Not really mute, just quieter than other swans.

When to see a mute swan

All year, mostly at dawn, by day and at dusk.

What else is about in January

Time of day

Dawn
Day
Dusk
Night

Where to see a mute swan in the UK

The Norfolk Broads. Drifts through the reeds on the open broad.

These are real places in Britain, the same ones the game uses. Check the reserve or landowner's own guidance before you go.

Mute swan facts at a glance

Best time: All year, all day: rivers, canals, ponds and broads. Cygnets from late spring.
Where in the game: Millbrook (canal and pond) and the Norfolk Broads (broad and river)
Size: Length about 1.5 m
Wingspan: About 2.2 m
Weight: About 9.4 kg (BTO adult average); males are heavier
Lifespan: Typically 10 years; the oldest ringed bird lived over 29 (BTO)
Population: About 7,000 pairs in the UK (BTO, 2016)
Status: Green (RSPB, Wildlife Trusts)

Diet

Mainly water plants, and grass from nearby fields and meadows.

Habitat

Lakes, slow rivers, canals, ponds and broads.

Breeding

A big nest of reeds and plants hidden in waterside vegetation; 4–7 eggs. Newly hatched cygnets often ride on a parent's back.

Field signs

The loud whoosh of wings overhead: you may hear one before you see it
Webbed footprints on muddy banks
A heap of reeds at the water's edge with a big white bird sitting on it

Did you know?

The monarch keeps the right to all unmarked mute swans in open water, though it's only exercised on stretches of the Thames and its tributaries.
Lead fishing weights once poisoned many swans; a ban on selling them has largely solved it on lowland rivers (RSPB).
'Busking' is the threat display: neck curved back and wings half raised.

Moments worth waiting for

Busking March to June, day and dawn
The cob comes at you across the water, neck curved back and wings arched over his back. It's a warning. You take it.

Photo tip

White feathers blow out easily, so expose for them and shoot in soft light. Get low, near the water, for a bird that fills the frame without towering over it.