The renowned Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson perhaps wrote one of the most beloved fairy tales “The Ugly Duckling” that added to the mythical allure and legend of the swan. The treasured story begins at a barn where a young swan (cygnet) is seen as being ugly amongst the prettier yellow ducklings wandering around. It is ridiculed and bullied as it struggles to find acceptance. In time the duckling grows to become the most beautiful bird, the Swan and find a place amongst its Kin.
The Swan is counted amongst the largest flying birds reaching a height of almost 60 inches and the biggest of the Anatide family that includes the geese and ducks. There are about 6-7 species with the native North American Tundra Swan and the Trumpeter Swan considered the largest waterfowl species in the world. Both the male and female swans have similar plumage and an absence of feathers in between the eyes and bill, except the adult male is much heavier than the female. However, given their slender beauty it is hard to believe swans can weigh as much as 15 kgs. The diet of the swan is essentially herbivorous to include aquatic and submerged plants but they are also known to eat smaller aquatic animals. So, unlike most birds, Swans have small jagged teeth used to catch and eat fish.
Although swans are most likely to be found in temperate climate there are rare instance of them appearing the tropics and are known to be fully or partially migratory in nature. In general the coloring of swans remain the same with dark greyish black legs, except for the South American Black-necked Swan and the Coscoroba Swan who possess pink legs.
The Northern Hemisphere swan species epitomizes the popular image of the long necked white plumage bird. But the Swans of the Southern Hemisphere are a stark contrast with a black and white plumage. The Black Swan as the name suggests is fully black with only white feathers on its wings. Although, the most interesting is the Black-necked Swan with a beautiful white plumage body contrasted with black head and neck, a greyish bill with a red bump at the base and a white stripe near the eyes.
In ancient mythology, the swan symbolized fidelity and devotion. This is because the most interesting aspect of the Swans is their monogamous nature where a pair of swans can be together for years. However, modern science breaks the myth of romanticism about the bonds between swans. For one, they are not immune to divorces and are believed to mate outside their pairing without disturbing it. The female swan gives about 4-7 eggs which need to be in incubation for 34-45 days. But, an unusual trait of the swan is that the male plays an active part in building the nest and also incubating the eggs rather than leaving all the responsibility on the female swan.
Image ©: Liliya Kulianionak
