Mute swan: a crowning glory of our waterways
THE mute swan (Cygnus olor) is cherished in the UK and half of the European mute swan population permanently resides here, with the winter population increased by incoming Continental birds. It is a species also found in Asia, which has been introduced into numerous countries where populations thrive – feral birds being less migratory than their wild counterparts.
On waterways, even those that wind through cities and other urban areas throughout the UK, this majestic yet inoffensive snow-white bird can often be found. Its food is principally aquatic plants (90 per cent) and invertebrates, and it is regularly seen upending to reach underwater foliage. This swan prefers the edges of lakes and rivers and the shallow upper reaches of estuaries where plants are nearer the surface. Placed at the rear of the body, its black feet
