For details point at or click the
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Anseriformes
Family:
Anatidae
BTO Codes:
WS , WHOSW
EURING No:
1540
Number in Britain:
5700 birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
Not a species of concern(Winte
Global:
Least Concern
View video clips from
IBC
Status in UK:
(A) Scarce Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
Monotypic
.
Length:
152 cm
Wingspan:
230 cm
Weight:
M/F: 9.3 kg
Scientific name from:
L.: cygnus =the swan (from Gr.: kuknos )
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n Eurasia, WINTERS: south to n Africa, India & se China
Habitat:
Lakes, marshes & rivers
Diet:
Aquatic vegetation, also grazes on land (especially more recently)
TitBit:
Whooper Swans have been recorded migrating at altitudes up to 8,200m where the ambient temperature is -40C.
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Winter:
5720 individuals
in 1994-99
Summer:
3 to 7 wild pairs
in 1996-00
First Record:
7th Century
[Fossil evidence from
Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]
First Breeding Record:
Sutherland (after extinct 1770s) 1910
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
Unavailable
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I), WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
113 x 73 mm
Egg Weight:
331.0 g (of which 12 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
1
Clutch Size:
4 - 5 eggs
Incubation:
31 - 42 days
by the:
Female
Fledging:
78 - 96 days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Does not breed in Britain, or too few Nest Records
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
90
Adult Survival:
0.801
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
4
years
Typical Lifespan:
9
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
23yr3m
(Denmark: 26yr 6m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
M*
Wing Length
Adult:
598.5 ± 21.7
Range
561 - 632 mm, N =168
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
610.0 ± 18.1
578 - 639 mm, N =74
Female:
589.3 ± 20.0
555 - 619 mm, N =93
Weight
Adult:
9.04 ± 1.27
Range
6.90 - 11.10 kg , N =174
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
9.60 ± 1.10
7.90 - 11.60 kg , N =75
Female:
8.66 ± 1.19 .
6.80 - 10.60 kg , N =94
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Eala-fhiadhaich
Welsh:
Alarch y Gogledd
Danish:
Sangsvane
Dutch:
Wilde zwaan
Finnish:
Laulujoutsen
French:
Cygne chanteur
German:
Singschwan
Hungarian:
Énekes hattyú
Icelandic:
Álft
Irish:
Eala Ghlórach
Italian:
Cigno selvatico
Norwegian:
Sangsvane
Polish:
Labedz krzykliwy
Portuguese:
Cisne-bravo
Spanish:
Cisne cantor
Swedish:
Sångsvan
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Rees, E. et al. 1997 BWP Update 1:27-35
Brazil, M. 2003 The whooper swan Poyser, London
[598.484 BRA]
Kear, J 2005 Ducks, geese and swans Oxford University Press
[598.48 KEA]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
BirdFacts home | BTO Home birdfacts@bto.org These data should be cited as:
© British Trust for Ornithology, | Privacy Statement
button; for sources point at the 
button
Other Names
