Creature feature: mute swan

A pair of mute swans breed on the Mire Loch, and can be seen throughout the year. These birds mate for life and are very territorial, defending ‘their patch’, mate and offspring.

The male, known as a cob, has a larger black knob on his beak and will look over the female (the pen) as she incubates her eggs (laying up to 7 in total). He will then cover them as she moves off to feed.

Once the cygnets have hatched, both parents will help with the raising of the young. The young hop on their parents’ backs for a swim around the waters, as they’re shown what it’s like to be a mute swan! This is also a handy strategy to protect them from predators, such as foxes.

The cygnets will have greyish feathers and a dull beak, but will grow to the size of the adults within 3 months. Once they reach 5 months, the parents will start to push the cygnets away, encouraging them to fly the nest!

The mute swan’s name comes from the fact that it’s less vocal than other swan species, such as the whooper swan that makes the distinctive ‘whooping’ call in flight. The mute swan is also the largest of the swan species in the UK, and in fact the second largest species of waterfowl in the world.