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The most beautiful birds, not only among waterfowl, but among all others, are rightly considered to be swans. These truly royal birds with snow-white plumage and a gracefully curved long neck are indispensable heroes of epic, fairy tales and songs. And ancient astronomers, fascinated by the beauty of this bird, assigned one of the constellations the name of Cygnus.
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In the early spring, when the reservoirs are just beginning to free themselves from the ice cover, the swans return home from warm countries. Their appearance is accompanied by loud, trumpet sounds, which the white handsome men talk to each other. Swans are waterfowl, they settle where the lakes and swamps, arrange their nests on the islands, away from people and predatory animals.
Among waterfowl swans are the largest. Their wings in scope reach two meters, and the weight can reach up to fifteen kilograms. But, despite such a large weight, swans are very well kept in the air and can fly thousands of kilometers during seasonal migrations.
Feed on these royal birds are usually herbaceous plants, which they extract both on land and in water. Their long neck helps to get food from the bottom of the reservoirs. In addition to various herbs, swans still eat insect larvae, as well as small crustaceans and molluscs.
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In family life, swans are distinguished by constancy. Once formed a pair never parted. Well remember swans and their nests, which use several seasons in a row. Every year they improve and build up their home, which can reach a diameter of two meters.
Only the female is engaged in the incubation of eggs during the nesting period, and the male acts as a watchman. If any predator manages to get close to the nest, the swans bravely rush at him and beat their broad and strong wings.
Feed swans during hatching chicks away from the nest. Arriving at the lake, where they meet other swans, snow-white birds necessarily conduct a ritual of greeting. They float on the watery surface, clapping noisily with their wings, and shouting loudly. Then the swans move, beautifully bending their long necks. Swan dances on the water leave an unforgettable impression.
About forty days after the incubation begins, nestlings with gray fluff appear in the nest. The nestling does not at all resemble its snow-white parents, but really reminds a nasty duckling from Andersen's famous fairy tale.
When the chicks are growing up, the parents begin molting. Their beautiful feathers fall out, and birds lose their ability to fly. During this period the swans are especially cautious and fearful.
Later in the autumn, when the first snow falls on the ground, the swans gather in flocks and fly away to warm countries until the next spring. a source http://detskiychas.ru
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Photo taken fromdigital camera of SONY DSC - H400,from personal archive.
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