Almost everyone loves swans and the species they are most familiar with, whether they realize it or not, is the mute swan. They are the ones with the orange beak with the black tip pointing up. They are the ones most often seen in photographs. Here are some interesting facts about them, learned from first-hand experience.

In cold weather months, they can often be found in groups along enclosed watercourses. Groups include adults and juvenile swans, although they are not yet swans. Groupings occur before their nesting season begins.

When the cobs (males) and the corrals (females) are courting, one of their rituals is to stand facing each other and intertwine their beautiful long necks back and forth. They do this for a while and it looks very beautiful.

Very young swans are called mute swans and do not look the same as when they reach maturity. They have fuzzy gray down and blackish bills and are extremely small in size.

Mute swan eggs are bluish-green with brown flecks and sometimes a brown tinge that covers the entire egg. It is not known how many eggs the pen will lay. Sometimes there are just a few, sometimes there are several.

Mute swans, as with any animal, are very protective of their nest and chicks, both before and after they hatch. If you know of any swans nesting near the place you are visiting, it is best to avoid them altogether during nesting season. They can become aggressive. If you are in a densely populated area, it is a good idea to call a wildlife management group to come in and safely relocate the swans and their nest.

Before they reach full maturity, young swans can reach the height of adults. However, there is still lots of brownish gray coloration in their feathers and also in their beaks.

An adult mute swan is quite tall. When standing upright, they are at least a good four feet tall. It is not easy to say that when they are swimming in the water, however, it is true.

A mute swan’s body feathers feel soft and silky, while its neck feathers feel almost like crushed velvet material. Being so tall, there are usually a lot of feathers on a swan.

There is a kind of pecking order to how swans feed when they are in large groups. The males will eat first, then the females. Then, once all the adults have finished, the youngsters will go upstairs and eat. This is repeated behavior, not a once in a while occurrence.

Mute Swans are extremely photogenic, whether alone, in pairs, or in groups. If you know of any in an area near you, bring a camera whenever you spot them. You never know when a photo opportunity will present itself. Note that when there are chicks with them, do not try to photograph them at all. Signs of aggression may be possible at these times.