Mute Swan

Life Cycle

Egg --> Cygnet --> Adult

Abiotic & Biotic

Factors

Mute Swan

Cygnet

Egg

(Chicks) Can be taken to the water right after being born. The mama Mute Swan has to collect its food because they don’t know how to get it for themselves yet. Cygnets start learning how to fly within four and a half months of being born. Most of the Cygnets die due to crashing while flying. When a Mute Swan is in its Cygnet stage they are gray and fuzzy until about 2 years old when their white feathers come in.

Biotic Factors

Abiotic Factors

During April to June when the eggs are laid in the Mute Swans nest, The mother will incubate then for about 35 days or until they hatch.

non-living physical and chemical

elements in the ecosystem

living or once-living organisms

in the ecosystem

Mute Swans Abiotic Factors

• Water
• Air
• Sunlight
• Shallow Shorelines

Mute Swan's Biotic Factors

• Bay Grass
• Aquatic Vegetation

-such as muskgrass

(Chara vulgaris) and

coontail (Ceratophyllum

demersum),

Adult

Mute Swan don’t become mature until they are about three years old. At around 3 years old is when they will go out and search for a partner Mute swans most often only have one partner throughout their life-time. Mute Swans don’t usually live past ten years old when in the wild but can live up to twelve not in captivity. Mute Swans in captivity can live up to twenty to seventy years. These types of swans are VERY protective over their babies, if one happens to go missing they mom swan will look for it up to a week. Mom swans raise the Cygnet till they are one.

(Cygnus olor)

DD

Sources

Period 4

General Research continued...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mute_swan

MW

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12145_59132_59333-263418--,00.html#hist

• Came to US in 1980s

http://beautyofbirds.com/muteswanbreeding.html

Google Images

• Either released, or escaped from individuals

Morgan, Julia, Diamantis, and Ashton

General Research

MW

Where Did Mute Swans Originate From?

MW

Mute swans are not native to North America. Mute swans were brought here from Europe in the later 1800s. Mute swans are in north america because they escaped from captivity.

Reproduction

• Invasive species - organism that is not native and has negative effects on economy, environment, and health

MW

Nesting

Breeding

MW

• April through July

• Freshwater marshes, ponds, lakes, slow-flowing rivers

• Areas with ample food supply, shallow and undistubed water, and few disturbances

• Find mates around 2 years of age, usually in winter time

• Usually one pair nesting per body of water

• Start nesting between ages of 3 and 7

• Nesting territories range from 6-150 acres and often near where female was hatched

• Mate for life, unless one mate dies

• Female picks nesting location

• Pair more likely to pick nesting location that was successful in past

• Courtship behavior - bobbing heads, facing each other with quivering wings

MW

Eggs

• Cygnus Olor (Mute Swan) native to Europe and Asia and invasive to US

Hatching

• June through July

• Female lays eggs in late April to June

• Weigh 200-300 grams

• Before nest is completed

• Laid every other day until clutch is complete

• Able to leave nest within 24 hours of hatching

• Average clutch: 1-11 eggs

• Female's first clutch likely to have fewer eggs, or be infertile

• Able to swim and dive under water within 48 hours of hatching

• Blue-green coloring initially, then turn white, then brown through staining

• Both parents feed and protect cygnets

• Able to feed self after 2 weeks

• Half adult size after 8-10 weeks

• 2.9 inches wide, 4.5 inches long, 320 grams

• By 13-17 weeks, they are 20 pounds and learn to fly

MW

Incubation

• Female incubates for 32-37 days when clutch is complete

• Female only leaves for short periods of time to feed and bathe herself

• Male stays near by to defend nest, female, and eggs from predators and intruders

• Calerpa Toxifolla native to US and invasive to Europe

• "Victory display" performed when intruder is deterred

• Similar to courtship displays

• Face each other, quiver wings, and trumpet loudly

Reasons For Success

Negative Effects on Ecosystem

Competition and Predation

Environmental Factors

Overall all the Mute Swan needs to survive is shallow water and aquatic plants. This is what helps them prosper in areas such as Michigan.

Due to Mute Swan's aggressive and territorial tendencies they tend to attack other animals that are native to the area which leads those animals to either leave or die out from lack of food supply .

1. Wetland degradation

2. Causes competition with native wildlife

3. Attacks humans

Human Attacks

Native Displacement

Wetland Degradation

Reproductive Strategies

and Adaptations

Mute swans are known not only to be aggressive with fellow birds, but also with humans.

The competition for food and shelter

They are known to be:

3-4 pounds

Mute swans eat

of water plants per day

vs

• aggressive
• territorial
• protective
• easily threatened
• violent
• destructive

Reduced carrying capacity of wetlands

Population decrease and displacement of native species

Animals at risk of food competition:

Over populated areas of mute swans

Mute swans are together for life; however, if there partner dies they find a new one. There is always a swan watching their young which helps ensure they are kept safe.

• other birds
• mammals
• amphibians
• fish

*Mute swans are also known to be aggressive and steal the nests (and sometimes eggs) of native birds*

DD

• muskgrass
• common waterweed
• wild celery
• sago pondweed

which leads too...

Less people visiting those ponds, lakes, and parks

JK

Methods of Containment and Prevention

MW

Head Lifting Ceremony

MW

JK

Current Methods for Containment

Current Methods for Distribution

MW

• Remove eggs

• Relocate swans to another location so they are more spread out

• Destroy nests

• Kill adult birds to decrease population

• Still cause problems in the new location

• Animal rights activists do not agree with these because they see it as animal abuse

MW

Future Methods

• Organizations trying to come up with more human ways of taking care of the problem

• Population goal is 2,000-3,000 by the year 2030

• There are around 500,000 currently in the United States