Mom Swan Protectively Carries Her Eight Babies Under Her Wing While Swimming

Nov 12, 2019

Swans generally make great moms, vigorously protecting their babies while showing them the ropes of how to be a swan. However, Richard Meston had the rare chance to observe a swan mom going above and beyond by carrying her tired babies-yes, all eight of them-around on her wings.

At Bicton Park Botanical Gardens in England, Meston was enjoying watching a swan swimming in a pond while her eight babies (swan babies are properly called cygnets) played in the water around her. After some point, one of them seemed to get tired and climbed up on his mom's back. The mom gave him a bit of a nudge to help him up and let him rest.

Soon, all eight of the tired babies had waddled up onto her back to take a rest. The mom carefully adjusted one of her wings underneath them to allow them all space to settle, and then she draped her other wing over them to keep them from falling. After carefully studying the arrangement and checking to be sure all of the babies were on board, she gracefully swam away across the pond.

Mute swans are the most common species of swan worldwide. They are native to Europe and have been introduced into North America, where they are now widely distributed. Although described as "mute" they can and do make noises like chirping, whistling, and hissing. These large birds are always white and are the largest species of flying birds. A large male can weigh over 30 pounds and achieve a wingspan of almost eight feet. They are also very protective of their young. 

Baby swans (cygnets) are usually grey in color and only turn white when they are about a year old. Juvenile swans can form huge flocks but around age three or four they pair up and settle down to raise babies in their own pond, which they aggressively defend against other swans.

Swan lovers should be aware that swans will aggressively attack people approaching their eggs or babies, and that the familiar image of a swan with a curved neck and wings partly raised is a threat posture warning people to stay away.

Have you ever seen swan parents with their cygnets? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along to your friends and family.