“Swan”
Day 51 of 366 Day Project
“Magic is everywhere, explore & be amazed everyday!”
When you think of a swan you might imagine a graceful bird with a long, curved neck gently gliding across still water. Or perhaps Hans Christian Andersen’s story The Ugly Duckling comes to mind?
Black Swans are amazing birds, they form isolated pairs or small colonies in shallow wetlands. They pair for life, with both adults raising one brood per season. Eggs are laid in an untidy nest made of reeds and grasses. The nest is placed either on a small island or floated in deeper water. The chicks (cygnets) are covered in grey down and are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they hatch.
Swans are beautiful birds, they are the largest members of the duck and goose family. I bet you didn’t know that;
- A swan will mate for life.
- Black swans are native to Australia.
- A male swan is called a cob, and a female swan is called a pen.
- The black necked swan lives in South America.
- Swans begin breeding between the ages of 3-4.
- Swan eggs take between 35 and 42 days to hatch.
- Swans can fly as fast as 60 miles per hour!
- A baby swan is called a cygnet.
- Swans are highly intelligent and remember who has been kind to them, or not.
- A group of wild swans is known as a herd, however a group in captivity are called a fleet.
- There are six different species of swans.
- The swan has over 25000 feathers in its body.
Fascinating birds aren’t they?
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