Swans
of Town Lake
| There
are a few pairs of swans who live at various parts of Town Lake. Swans are
territorial, stay in couples, and do their best to protect their cygnets. Sadly, we
do not know of any cygnet surviving on Town Lake in Austin because of the human threat:
people killing them for fun, 'stealing' the babies from the parents, allowing their dogs
to kill the young, and releasing large amounts of litter. As of June 1999, we have
one surviving cygnet (mothers have four to eight babies). |
 Swan photos taken by Devorah © June 6, 1999 on Town Lake, Austin, Texas |
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copyright © 1999-2007 Austin Duck Police |
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More about Mute Swans |
Mute swans (cygnus olor) occur
naturally in Europe and Asia and were introduced to the US in the 1800s. They are
not actually mute: they squeal, hiss, snort, and let out warning cries. Swans are
herbivores and chow down on grasses, water plants, and, of course, the bread that kind
humans feed them.
Swans usually begin breeding after three years old.
The female (pen) and the male (cob) create a large nest together out of vegetation. When
the pen is satisfied with the nest, she will mate with the cob. The female lays four to
eight eggs over a period of a few days. The incubation period after the last egg is laid
is 35-40 days. During this time, the male aggressively defends the nest. In
addition, the cob hands nesting material to the pen to make repairs to the nest as she
sees fit.
Cygnets are born helpless and are completely
dependent on their parents. Males stick close by and do their best to defend their
babies from dogs, snapping turtles, and other threats. Cygnets are born with grey
down, which is replaced by brown and then white feathers. They cannot fly until they
are four to five months old. Parents protect their young for the first few months,
until the next breeding season.