Swans ( 1 of 2 )

Wording of this Handout:

---

When God created all the birds, he made one of them with big white wings, a long neck and an orange bill. This bird is known today as the Mute Swan. It is called 'mute' because it hardly ever makes a noise. When it does make a noise, the Mute Swan honks, while most other swans whistle.

Swans have big feet which serve as large, effective paddles. When the swan brings its foot forward under the water it closes its toes, then it spreads them to make a fan shape for the backstroke.

Swans have more feathers on their bodies than any other bird. They have about 25,000 of them.

Young swans are called cygnets. When they are very small they often hitch a ride up on their mother's back!

Not all swans are white. There are many different colours, including the black swans which live in Australia.

Mum and Dad swans stay together for years. They raise many cygnets, and teach their young many skills.