The mute swan is a large, white bird that lives on shallow waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. It is an invasive species.
Appearance:
White body
Orange bill with a black knob at the base
Long neck that is held in a graceful S-curve
Black to grayish-pink legs and feet
Grows to 5 feet long with a wingspan of 7-8 feet
Weighs up to 25 pounds
Habitat:
Found on shallow waters along the Chesapeake Bay, including rivers, creeks and wetlands
Also lives on inland lakes and ponds
Moves to deeper waters in winter when the shallows freeze over
Can establish large territories of 4-10 acres
Range:
Found year-round throughout the Chesapeake Bay region, including Maryland, Virginia and the Susquehanna River Valley of Pennsylvania
Largest populations historically found in Queen Anne’s, Talbot and Dorchester counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Native to Europe and Asia
Feeding:
Eats bay grasses such as eelgrass and widgeon grass
Pulls out whole plants, including their roots and rhizomes
Adults eat more than eight pounds of bay grasses every day
Feeds by submerging its head and neck underwater to reach its food, sometimes “tipping up” its tail in the process
Will also eat wheat and other grains from farm fields during winter
Predators:
No natural predators in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Flight:
Holds its neck stretched straight ahead
Often flies in pairs or small groups
Wingbeats make a whooshing or whirring sound
Voice:
Usually silent, but males will bark or hiss at intruders to their nesting area
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
Begins breeding by its third spring
The female builds a large nest of down and marsh grasses close to the water
The female lays 4-10 light gray or bluish-green eggs that hatch in about 35 days and produce an average of six young, called cygnets
While the female is incubating her eggs and when cygnets are young, the male is very territorial and protective of the nest. It will hiss at and chase away intruders, including humans and other birds.
Cygnets are brownish-gray and lack the black knob at the base of their bills. They turn all white by their second year.
Parents chase their young out of the nest before the next breeding season begins
Usually lives less than 10 years in the wild
Other Facts:
The largest bird in the Chesapeake Bay region
Introduced in the Bay region in 1962 when five mute swans escaped from an estate in Talbot County, Maryland
Mute swans can be confused with native tundra swans. You can distinguish a mute swan by its orange bill and gracefully curved neck. Also, mute swans live in the Bay region year-round, while tundra swans only visit in winter.
