Cisne Vulgar

One of the heaviest flying birds, the Mute Swan reaches around 11 kg with a wingspan near 235 cm and holds its long neck in a distinctive S-curve. Adults are entirely white, while cygnets are grey-brown and whiten over their first year, and the orange bill bears a prominent black basal knob, larger in males. It grazes on submerged vegetation, algae, and grass, upending in shallow water to reach depths of about a metre. Despite its name it is not truly silent, giving hissing snorts when threatened, and its wings produce a loud rhythmic throbbing in flight. Nesting on lakes, slow rivers, estuaries, and ornamental waters, it lays five to seven eggs, incubated for 31 to 41 days, with young fledging at 120 to 150 days. Native to Europe and western Asia, it has been introduced widely. The species is classified as Least Concern.