Mute Swan

Cygnus olor

Very Easy

The **Mute Swan** (*Cygnus olor*) is a large Eurasian waterfowl featured in the Eurasia Animal Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population In Wild:** Unknown

The mute swan (or Cygnus olor) is a large waterfowl that lives throughout Europe and Asia, with invasive populations in North America and Japan. It is white, with black feet and an orange-red bill, and black markings around the nostrils, eyes, as well as the edge and tip of the bill. A leucistic morph can occur, which is almost indistinguishable in adults, where the legs have a pink colour instead of black. Juvenile swans are normally grey, but have a white plumage if exhibiting leucism. Mute swans have a distinctive black basal knob on the root of the beak between the eyes. This knob is generally larger in males, but varies widely based on the individual, environment, and time of the year, growing larger in breeding males and females during the mating season. Males are typically 1.4m to 1.7m long, have a wingspan between 2m and 2.4m, and weigh 9.2kg to 14.3kg. Female mute swans are slightly smaller at 1.25m to 1.55m long, with a wingspan of 1.8m to 2.16m and a weight of 7.6kg to 10.6kg

As a species of Least Concern, the mute swan is not endangered. The species is widespread across the world, inhabiting temperate regions. They are often used as decorative fowl in parks and gardens, and escapees of such settings have established a naturalised population in the United States. They are protected across most of their range, and despite poaching, their population numbers are still increasing overall.

### Social needs

Mute swans live in monogamous pairs and may congregate with others in large groups during migrations. Some pairs may also be territorial and reject other swans on their territory. Juveniles who have not yet reached sexual maturity will live together in flocks until they form a breeding pair with another individual.

### Reproduction

During the mating season in spring, unattached swans attempt to pair with each other. A male and female will approach each other and engage in courtship displays, which may involve wing fluffing, head dipping and preening. If the couple is compatible, they sync up their movements into a dance, which forms a bond between them. A young male and female may spend a breeding season together without mating and not breeding until the next year. Mating takes place partially submerged in the water, and is preceded by further displays between the pair, such as resting their heads on each other’s backs and intertwining the necks.

The pair builds a nest out of vegetation, or chooses a different nest site. The nest mound is large and raised, with a dip in the middle to protect the eggs. Approximately one month after mating, the female lays 5 to 12 eggs, usually between 5 and 7. Male and female take turns to incubate the eggs, which will hatch roughly 5 weeks later. Soon after hatching, the chicks will leave the nest to accompany one of their parents. The spend 60 days together, until the chicks fledge. They are then driven away by their parents, and form groups with other non-breeding swans, usually 2 years of age or younger. They remain closely associated with swans of similar age until they attempt to find a mate.

Mute swans reach sexual maturity at 3 years old. They are serially monogamous, meaning they have a different committed partner each breeding season, or stay with the same partner for several seasons. Occasionally, there may be extra-pair matings resulting in some chicks by the same dam having different fathers.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Forage Pool · Slow Feeder · Fruit Spike Tree
Mirror Mobile · Beaver Pool · Water Pool · Water Jet Rock · Water Jet · Curio Ball

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* Although mute swans are monogamous, they do not always mate for life and may have several partners in their lifetime.
* Mute swans are the heaviest flighted birds. A particularly large male, weighing 50.7lb, was the largest flying bird ever recorded.
* Mute swans are highly intelligent and have been known to bear grudges.
* Mute swans have been introduced to North America as ornamental birds for ponds. The temperate climate, similar to that in Eurasia, meant escaped birds could comfortably survive in the wild.
* In English, the typical coloration of the mute swan is referred to as a ‘Royal’ swan, while the leucistic morph is known as a ‘Polish’ swan.

## Gallery

Tease of the Mute Swan in the announcement trailer