NESTING: The nesting pair usually maintains a large territory on a small lake or pond or along the banks of slow moving rivers such as the Tweed, only rarely nesting together in a colony. They vigorously defend their nests and young from intruders. Their nest is a large pile of aquatic plants, sticks, reeds,and roots gathered by the pair of swans on an island in pond or on its banks and lined with down and feathers.
EGGS: March 30-June l2th; average of 4-6 gray or blue-green. Incubation is usually by female alone, Protected by male, 35-38 days, usually 35. Young first fly l00-l20 days after hatching. Swan with CygnetChicks light gray above, remain l day in nest. Male often takes first-hatched cygnet to water while female continues to incubate rest of eggs; chicks will ride on backs of parents or under their wings.
AGE: Have lived 30-40 years in captivity. One reported to have lived to 70 years. Greatest ages for wild mute swans were three banded in Switzerland that were l8 and l9 years old when recovered.
FLIGHT SPEED: 50-55 m.p.h.
WEIGHT: up to 50 pounds
RANGE: Nests over much of the British Isles, north to central Europe and North to central Asia; winters south to Northern Africa, Near East, Northwest India and Korea. In the U.S. mute swans (which are introduced escapees but now fairly widespread in the wild) wander along the Atlantic coast from eastern Massachusettes south to central New Jersey. In Australia they are found in parts of Western Australia and Tasmania where they were introduced, but as in the USA have escaped into the wild.
OUR MUTE SWAN'S HAVE BEEN HERE ON OUR FARM FOR THREE YEAR'S. AS YOU CAN SEE OUR PEN IN SITTING ON SIX EGG'S AND WE CAN'T WAIT TILL THEY HATCH.
YOU WILL ALSO SEE OUR COB IS PROTECTING THERE NEST BY TRYING TO SCARE ME AWAY AS I GET CLOSE HE SPLASH WATER ON ME IN HOPE I WILL BACK UP FROM THERE TERRITORY. I WAS ABLE TO GET A CLOSE UP OF THE PEN ON HER NEST. MAY 30, 2009 OUR EGG'S ARE STARTING TO HATCH, ONE IS OUT AND DRY SHE IS SITTING ON SEVEN EGG'S AND NOT SIX. THE COB IS SWIMMING GUARDING THERE NEST AND WAITING FOR THE YOUNG TO HATCH. UPDATE 6 CYGNET ARE OUT AND ARE EXPLORING THERE SURROUNDING VERY CUTE.
SILTANEN PEAFOWL FARM
