Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Mute swan

Cygnus olor

Description:

Sleeping beauty… This mute swan was spotted having a nap with a mate at a small city harbor. Swans can sleep standing on one leg or two legs or whilst floating, usually with their heads tucked back under a wing. Many mammals and birds can sleep with their eyes open.

Habitat:

Native to much of Europe and Asia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. Also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa The swans pictured here are all year-round residents on Lake Geneva. Their habitat can be seen on the second shot at http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/845...

Notes:

The mute swan is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the bill. All mute swans are white at maturity. The head and neck feathers are often stained orange-brown as seen here, due to iron and tannins in the water.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

26 Comments (1–25)

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 11 years ago

Thanks Berndt!

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 11 years ago

Thank you Isabella!

IsabellaFiers
IsabellaFiers 11 years ago

awesome pics Daniele !!! Congrats

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Thank you again July! Your own collection is great!

July Llanes
July Llanes 12 years ago

Beautiful. You take amazing photos!

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Thanks for your comment KiKi Robin!

Kiara Robinson
Kiara Robinson 12 years ago

The last one looks like hes posing for the camera xD

SarahWhitt
SarahWhitt 12 years ago

Oh....well see I didn't notice the date photo was taken.... Oopsy! ;)

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Haha thank you Sarah! But believe me today was really very dark and grey, much worse than the day this swan was photographed... it wouldn't have done justice to the ducks' beautiful colours.

SarahWhitt
SarahWhitt 12 years ago

Dark....grey.....terrible for photography....????
That didn't seem to stop you from capturing this AWESOME photo!!!
You are toooooo funny!! :)

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Thanks Sarah! Went to do my usual duck survey this morning but today was dark and grey and terrible for photography :-(

SarahWhitt
SarahWhitt 12 years ago

PERFECT photos, Daniele! I love them!! Almost as much as the duck ones...
;)

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Thank you Ismael!

Ismael Chaves
Ismael Chaves 12 years ago

Fantastic series Daniele

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

arlanda, Leuba, Satyen, thank you all for your kind comments!

Wild Things
Wild Things 12 years ago

Lovely series.

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 12 years ago

absolutely beautiful !!- I love the little touches of colour.

arlanda
arlanda 12 years ago

very nice pictures, Daniele

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Thanks Atul!

Atul
Atul 12 years ago

beautiful!!

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Thank you very much Gerardo and KatCuff!

KatCuff
KatCuff 12 years ago

Great series!

Gerardo Aizpuru
Gerardo Aizpuru 12 years ago

Wonderful photos Daniele

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 12 years ago

Thank you Stian and Laura! The great thing with swans is their size and that you can get close (if you forget the urban myth that they can break your arm with a wing stroke...). They'll certainly try to bite if you disturb them!

LauraMaria
LauraMaria 12 years ago

Fantastic photos of a common animal! I love those close ups on their faces, they look so elegant when they rest like that :) I will have to try and get better pictures of the swans I see everyday! Beautiful

DanielePralong
Spotted by
DanielePralong

Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland

Spotted on Dec 10, 2011
Submitted on Jan 18, 2012

Related Spottings

Whooper Swan Whooper swan Cisne cantor Mute Swan

Nearby Spottings

Red-crested Pochard Feral pigeon (rock pigeon) Goosander (female) Goosander (male)

Reference

Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team