Things you need to know about MUTE SWANS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- How much do you know about Mute Swans? In this video I take a closer look at, and share some amazing swan facts you might not already know. There are a lot of beliefs surrounding these birds and in this video I show if there is any truth: Can swans die from heartbreak, can swans break your arm, do swans only sing when they are nearing death and lots more.
Here is the full script from the video, I hope you enjoy it:
If you have ever been very close to a mute swan, especially if you were sitting on the ground, you would know that they are huge. Male birds can grow to weights of more than fourteen kilograms and this makes them the fifth heaviest flying birds in the world. They can achieve this as they have equally impressive wings, each of which can measure almost 4 foot in length.
If you’re a big bird, the chances are that you will also lay big eggs. With Mute swans this is the case. Each egg is around 12 centimeters long, 7cm wide and can weight upto 350 grams. To put that into perspective, each swan egg would be about equal to 7 standard chicken eggs!
Male swans are called Cobs and females are called Pens. Males get their name from the old Germanic word knobf which means knob and relates to the raised black bump at the base of their beaks. Both sexes have these but they are often more pronounced and swollen looking in the males. Just why females are called pens isn’t quite so clear. Some sources suggest that it comes from their habit of holding their wings back which creates a pen between them, whereas other sources suggest it may come from the old Italian word pen which means feather or quill, and is how penne pasta got its name.
If I had a pound for every time someone had told me that swans can break your arm with a single flap of their wing, I would have about 12pound fifty by now! Mute swans do have very powerful wings but there are no records of them ever breaking a persons arm. Apparently, a swan attack in Northern Ireland did lead to a man having a broken leg, but I suspect that was down to him falling rather than being hit by the swan. Swans do have a bony growth where their wrists would be, and as I have been hit by several, I can tell you it does hurt, quite a bit.
Another myth about swans is that they are all owned by the queen. It is true that most of the free roaming swans in the country are owned by her majesty but there are three other swan owners. These are the Ilchester family who own Abbotsbury swannery in Dorset and the Vinters and Dyers companies who both own swans on the river Thames in London. These swans are counted and marked in an annual swan upping event. This marking used to involve cutting a small nick into the birds beak, but I’m not sure if this is still the case. Hopefully not.
Mute swans can live up to 20 years in the wild and can form pair from 2 years of age. These pairs stay together as a monogamous couple throughout their lives unless one of the pair dies. When this happens, the remaining bird does not die from heartbreak as is often suggested but will usually go on to happily find a new mate.
Have you ever heard the saying a swan song? This comes from the belief that swans only sing when they are nearing death. This is of course not true and despite Mute swans being called mute, they can produce a variety of noises including grunts and hisses, throughout their lives. Young mute swans are called cygnets and they can also make noises, but these are more peeps and cheeps than grunts and hisses.
Massive thanks to Graham at Naturally Curious UK for allowing me to use some of his footage, Visit his channel here: / themisterg777
Thumbnail image: Mute Swan by Yerpo is licensed under CC BY SA 3.0 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
0:00 Introduction
0:16 Fifth heaviest flying bird!
0:42 Nesting swans!
1:06 Cobs and Pens?
1:45 Can swans break arms?
2:21 Are swans Royal Birds?
2:58 Can swans die from heartbreak?
3:23 A Swan Song?
We have had a mute swan on our pond and around our garden, leaving "deposits" around. As it is a single bird, is there any way to determine if it is a male or female when we don't have any other swan with it ? It's an absolutely majestic creature and seems to like to come very close to our house and look in for hours.
They also make a strange sound when flying. One time I was walking through the park and thought a steam engine was going by but nope, just 5 mute swans flying in formation overhead!
Yes, it's a weird noise to try to explain but I know what you mean. Cheers
if your a big bird 🦢😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I assume it's because the flapping of the wings in flight causes automatic breathing, and since their trachaea are wide open, the sound is produced automatically without a lot of choice. @@AShotOfWildlife
Mute Swans can be mean to Canada geese when nesting and raising their Cygnets. Mute Swans can be territorial water fowl.
Death to the cygnets can occur by predatory birds that is heart rending to witness.
Love your accent mate, thanks for the elucidating video.
Thanks mate. Its a bit different to the accent of the people where I live but I have travelled around abit for Uni and work so its a mixup of various British accents. Im glad you enjoyed the video.
Good work Liam. Very informative. I laughed when you said , 'It does hurt quite a lot!' lol
Thanks Tom. It is a long story but in the days when I did wildlife rescue, I was holding on to a swan that managed to slip out of its swan sack, enough to get one wing loose. It clobbered me in the face and is the only time I have ever been "seeing stars". I wasnt completely out and still had hold of the swan but I was very lose on my feet for a few seconds. There was quite a few spectators so I had to keep my composure!
I know the feeling and the type of situation. i once apsaied down a cliff in front of my school pupils .....only i managed to be upside down! lol
swans are fkn epic.
Swans are such Majestic looking birds >>> Thank You So Much for the insightful tutorial! 🌷🌿🌍💖🕊
Brilliant video, and very informative, nice to have some myths corrected.
As always brilliant info !!fantastic documentary!👍👍
Cheers Craig!
Great simple and so very enjoyable video Liam, thank you. I can get excited watching a house sparrow. No matter what i see i love the colours, its character and its calls (peeps or cheeps lol) Thanks again for this great video.
I’m known locally as the swan man. You did forget to mention that they remember humans and can identify them at a glance. They also remember kindness and those who treated them badly and like an elephant they never forget.
My friend, I am the really swan man. I am an German and my name is "Schwan"! In English: Swan!
That’s great to hear. I have a male swan on my lake and every morning he waits by my dock and every evening. I always go out and say hi and talk to him for a bit and I always tell my GF , he def remembers me and comes just to see me and say hi bc he never eats the lettuce or peas I try to give him lol. He’s so sweet and gentle and I look forward to seeing him daily, it does upset me though that he’s always alone, do you have any idea why this may be? Thanks Swan man!
@@jrthetravelingsalesman6357 maybe the ladies don't like his territory, is there some good options to make nest that are fox and cat safe, in your area !?
Beautifully done 😌 Thank you ..
Brilliant video. Lots of information. Thanks :)
That was lovely, thank you!⚘
Nice video Liam!
Thank you!
loved this! so informative, thank you :)
I enjoyed watching this lovely video. Greetings.
Thanks Liam for sharing this nice video full of interesting Swan facts and wishing you a good weekend! // Bertil.
Appreciate the info brother.
Great video!
Our Swan cob and pen were about 30 years old. Someone heard the pen cry out in early hours as her cob had died. She was aggressive to all passers by for a few days then she was found one morning without her head. Fox got her.😢 broken heart. Vulnernerable to attack.
Our national bird here in Denmark, we love it very much
Fun. Thank you.
Enjoyed that, thanks 😊
Thank you!
Mute swans are not just graceful but also gracious.
Love it.🤗🤗🤗
Very interesting and informative....
Nice video. You shold have mentioned the sound of their wings when flying which is loud and quite distictive.
Interesting information have a nice day
16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! que maravilla de imágenes, son tan hermosos! buena captura de esos poyos! saludos y abrazando la Tierra! m carmen
We have many Mute Swans in Michigan, USA which are not native to this country. They were brought over from Europe in mid 1800s.
Luckily trumpeters are slowly making a comeback! Trumpeters are so much less aggressive besides being native.
Thank you Liam an oldy but a goody.
£12.50!! 😆🤣😂 - brilliant! Great informative video as always mate. 👍😎👍
Excellent video. They are beautiful creatures. 💝💝🦢🦢💖💖
Thanks for watching!
Great video Liam also the mute swans the only resident species of swan in Britain
This has been really interesting...thank you! At the riverside park near where I live, mute swans have started swimming down to the area of the park where I visit. They have been seen further up the river, but never down this far. So this is great information, as I've never seen them close enough to study them before. I don't know if they will bring their cygnets down this far, though.
I love swans
Although Swans are beautiful they can also be dangerous animals and can attack when they feel threatened. The story with the man who broke his legs must have been because he tried to get too close to the swans and they freaked out hence why they started to flap their wings. Most likely the man started running and hit a rock or something...
Its a cool video, but has one wrong detail: swans not looking emediatly for another mate, when their love mate dies or got lost somewhere. Theres a record of a swan commiting suicide of he or she loses her love mate. He or she flies very high up, folds the wings and falls with a head down for a crash. Just sharing my knowledge with you. Theres even poems based on these stories. Swans are not like humans.. that sleeping around and catching STD's. Swans choosing love for a worthy and much better reason.
@@artgallery7376 swans are pretty animals but they are dangerous when need to be that’s just how it is they can rip your arms and legs off when irritated and annoyed it’s not about looking for love that comment has nothing to do with them being beautiful and dangerous
@@ZeeA0705 Well, being dangerous - thats just their defense mechanism, I assume. But I'm talking about, them being true love mates to each other; swans are like Romeo and Juliette as a couple. They can't live without each other and want their whole life to spend only with each other. They don't sleep around like that author of the video said. I get irritated when I hear wrong things being said about these lovely creatures. Its like a tiger.. its a eteremely beautiful animal but being extremely defensive - doesn't make him garbage.
Cheers
I've been told a story where it seemed as if a Swan committed suicide. His/her partner was hit by a truck on a highway unfortunately, and seconds later the other swan was hit by a truck as well, and it seemed as if he/she threw itself in front of that truck. It's such a sad thought, but I believe some of them could actually die of heartbreak
Swans had 8 Cygnus on a lake near where I live
Nice. I wonder how many of them will grow to be adults.
Omfg this is where silver swan comes from omg
How long can a pair of mute swans lay eggs which actually hatch cignets?
I live in Enniskillen on the lough. We have quite a few around here. They get nasty when the have babies. We have named one Lucifer because he tries to scare the boats lol. He is wicked. 😆
What should I be feeding swans?. Please do let me know as I feed a flock of 25+ swans , ducks geese and do not wish to feed them the wrong food. Please help. Thanks
Good on you for caring enough to ask! By now you've probably already looked it up elsewhere, but hopefully my answer can help someone else.
Basically, anything but bread. Bread can really mess with a bird's digestive process. The best thing to feed any wild birds is anything with great nutrition for the birds an their specific diet. Do some research and study up on what kinds of things are good for each bird that your feeding. Always keep nutrition in mind! Even though our domestic animal friends can tolerate junk better, even they shouldn't be given a lot of junk food. Most wild animals don't have the means to digest the junk we offer to them.
And also keep in mind, do not overfeed the wildlife. They can already fend for themselves and forage for food. Your handouts should be treats only, not a full meal. Their already getting food from other people too in most scenarios. Anything more can create excess waste and pollution that can destroy habitats and harm birds and other wildlife. Also, leftover, uneaten food can attract rodents, create unpleasant odors, and spread diseases, specifically at public parks. Some birds that are fed too often can become aggressive and may become a nuisance if they overpopulate a small area. Also you can make them fat, and that's never a good thing.
And there you have it, as short as I could really make it. I hope it helps!
TheChangeling13 Thank you for your romper reply and positive feedback. I tend to visit the embankment at Putney (SW London, UK). My daily run includes an extended stopover on route , carrying mix grain , oats, lettuce, corn , peas...and yes , brown bread too. I a, sorry, but my budget does not allow me to spend more money feeding these beautiful wild birds. They, too, are very picky and even if they are hungry, some of them choose not to take handouts from other non regular kids strangers . However, I have managed to befriend the dominant bread I got pair and they wait to be fed out the palm of my hand. They're really like the grain and oats...and, yes the brown bred too. The even allow me to pet them and they combo out the water to greet me with big noises. That, too, Alerts the rest of the troop made up of : Egyptian geese, coots, mandarin duck , nuisance Canada geese and a Heron ( very aloof) plus a million or so pigeons that cone to rest on my head and shoulders fighting for my attention and free food. Thank you for your feedback. It us good to hear that, they people Like and enjoy wild birds and animals. X
The only thing I know of a mute swan was from a kids book I read when I was 9. I forget the title but it's by eb white
You stated that they stayed together as a couple all their lives unless one of them died I watched the video the other day when he said if they don't produce young they may choose another mate
Came here to find out what Mute Swans are after I read about over 600 of them dying from Avian flu at Lake Karakol.
Thats a sad reason to find this video, but I hope you enjoyed it and learnt something new about them.
@@AShotOfWildlife I did like the video. I am grateful for the education. I LOVED the swan carrying it's young on the back. I didn't know they did that.
William woodward
Mute swans can break an arm when aggressive. It happened to a college male student on our lake here in MI. Made big headlines in the local newspaper at the time.
A hat and a scarf mate
nice video but swans ducks geese dont have beaks they have bills they are different
Thanks. There is no difference between a beak and a Bill but they are used often for different species. ornithology.com/beaks-bills/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20difference%20between,when%20referring%20to%20hooked%20bills.&text=The%20bill%20has%20two%20parts,in%20composition%20to%20our%20fingernails.
@@AShotOfWildlife I guess its where you are from tech same but different
Are beaks and bills the same thing?
Beaks are common in birds that mainly feed on meat, or seeds. On the other hand, bills are common in birds that feed on water creatures. Whereas beaks and bills serve the same purpose in birds, the anatomy is quite different.
"five feathers can become five chickens in time"
The story about swans breaking arms, most likely comes from broken fingers 😅
Monday May 20th 2024 715am
Mute Swans are like our version of Hippos just not as dangerous.
They have a very strong neck by which they can pull you into the water. Take care while feeding them... yes they can be mean and lash out while people are feeding them.
Hello. Their necks are actually quite weak and fragile, there is no way they could pull you into the water with their neck. They do have very powerful wings though and could hurt you with these if they tried.
As the Biggest bird i can agree that i lay big eggs
37 year old swan is oldest 1 known
'
can swam to be friendly pat pat pat as pet
I once thought a swan was caught-up in something below the heading at the wharf here. On close inspection I realised I was a voyeur at a threesome. It appeared to be consensual. I apologised and withdrew.
2:20
WE HAD A BEAUTIFUL SWAN AT THE CEMETERY BY THE HOUSE AND THE COYOTES EAT THE BEAUTIFUL SWAN
1:45 swans 🦢 can injure you?
Yes, but not to the extent that most people believe. They won't break your arm for example.
Can a swan Can say you name
Youre wrong about swans emediatly looking for another mate, when their love mate dies. theres a record of a swan commiting suicide of he or she loses her love mate. He or she flies very high up, folds the wings and falls with a head down for a crash. Just sharing my knowledge with you. Theres even poems based on these stories. Swans are not like humans.. that sleeping around and catching STD's. Swans choosing love for a worthy and much better reason.
Hi Pavel. If there is a record of this happening I would love to see it. I very much doubt this to be true and don't think swans (or any other animal) understand the concept of suicide.
DO THESE SWANS FLY AWAY IF IN DANGER
There called mute swans because they are the least vocal swan species
i did not know that swans are jesus
There called mute swans because they are the least vocal out of all the Swan species
You are from the UK and you measure the swan's wing in feet. So far so good.
Then you get to the eggs??????
All of a sudden these are, "12 centimeters long, 7cm wide and can weight upto 350 grams. "
WHY ARE THESE NOT IN ENGLISH MEASUREMENTS???????
Because most people know how big 7cm is, or 300 grams. Every food item in shops is measured in grams and kilos, most liquids in litres and if your only fault with this video is my crossover between measuring units, I won't lose any sleep lol
I want to eat one
How the eff, dare the humans claim Swans. Humans are something else
Mute Swan can attack Canada goose only if they are mating, nesting, and raising their cygnets. 🦢 🦢 🦢