Swan
| Mute Swan with cygnets | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| † see also: Goose,
Duck Anatidae |
Swans are large water birds of the Anatidae family, which also includes ducks and geese. Sometimes swans are lumped with geese in the subfamily Anserinae.
Swans mate for life; the number of eggs in each clutch varies both within and among swan species.
Young swans are known as cygnets, from the Latin word for swan, cygnus.
Most species of swan are white, but Australia is home to a species known as the Black Swan (Cygnus atratus), which is black with a red beak and white patches under its wings. The black swan is the official state emblem of Western Australia.
The following are examples:
Genus Cygnus
- Mute Swan, Cygnus olor, is a common Eurasian species, often semi-domesticated; descendants of domestic flocks have been naturalized in the eastern United States.