Swan

For other uses, see Swan (disambiguation).
"Cygnet" redirects here. For other uses, see Cygnet (disambiguation).

Swan
Temporal range: Late Miocene – Holocene[1][2]
Mute swans (Cygnus olor)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Anserinae
Genus: Cygnus
Garsault, 1764
Type species
Cygnus olor[3][failed verification]
Gmelin, 1789
Species

6 living, see text.

Synonyms

Cygnanser Kretzoi, 1957

Swans are birds of the genus Cygnus within the family Anatidae.[4] The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae.

There are six living and many extinct species of swan; in addition, there is a species known as the coscoroba swan which is no longer considered one of the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, although separation sometimes occurs, particularly following nesting failure, and if a mate dies, the remaining swan will take up with another. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.[5]

An adult mute swan (Cygnus olor) with cygnets in Vrelo Bosne, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  1. ^ Northcote, E. M. (1981). "Size difference between limb bones of recent and subfossil Mute Swans (Cygnus olor)". J. Archaeol. Sci. 8 (1): 89–98. doi:10.1016/0305-4403(81)90014-5.
  2. ^ "Fossilworks Cygnus Garsault 1764 (waterfowl) Reptilia – Anseriformes – Anatidae PaleoDB taxon number: 83418 Parent taxon: Anatidae according to T. H. Worthy and J. A. Grant-Mackie 2003 See also Bickart 1990, Howard 1972, Parmalee 1992 and Wetmore 1933". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  3. ^ "Anatidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  4. ^ "ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA Swan". Archived from the original on 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  5. ^ "Swan Breeding Profile: Pairing, Incubation, Nesting / Raising of Young". Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.