Whooper swan Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Whooper swan

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Tribe:	Cygnini
Genus:	Cygnus
Species:	C. cygnus
Binomial name
*Cygnus cygnus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Range of C. cygnus Breeding range Year-round range Wintering range

The whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) is a large, beautiful white bird. It lives in parts of Europe and Asia. This swan is like the European and Asian version of the trumpeter swan found in North America. Long ago, in a book from 1676, this swan was sometimes called the "Elk," "Hooper," or "wild Swan."

What Does a Whooper Swan Look Like?
- How to Tell Swans Apart
What Do Whooper Swans Eat?
Whooper Swan Life Cycle
Where Do Whooper Swans Live?
Images for kids
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What Does a Whooper Swan Look Like?

Young whooper swan.

Whooper swans have black legs and feet.

A whooper swan showing its yellow and black beak.

An adult whooper swan weighs about 9 to 11 kilograms (20-24 pounds). It is 140 to 160 centimeters (55-63 inches) long. This length includes its neck and head. Its wings can spread out to 205 to 235 centimeters (81-93 inches) wide.

Young whooper swans are grey-brown. They have a pink and black beak. By the end of their first summer, they become pale grey. They get their full white adult color before their second winter. Male and female swans look similar, but the males are usually larger.

How to Tell Swans Apart

The whooper swan, Bewick's swan, and mute swan look quite similar. However, there are small differences that help tell them apart. The whooper swan is clearly larger than Bewick's swan. When a whooper swan lands on water or takes off, it slides for longer distances.

Mute swan, whooper swan, Bewick's swan
Whooper swan bill: mostly yellow with a black tip.	Whooper swan: straight neck and short tail.
Mute swan: has a hump on its bill and an orange bill.	Mute swan: curved neck and long tail.
Bewick's swan bill: more black than yellow.	Bewick's swan: shorter neck and horizontal tail.

What Do Whooper Swans Eat?

Whooper swans mainly eat plants that grow in water. This includes leaves, stems, and roots of water plants. In the winter, they also eat grain and vegetables from farm fields. Young swans often eat insects.

Whooper Swan Life Cycle

Whooper swans build their nests as a large pile of plant material. They usually build nests on dry ground or on small islands near a lakeshore. The same nest mound can be used for many years. The swans often repair it and add new material each year.

Where Do Whooper Swans Live?

Whooper swans spend their summer in Northern Europe and Asia. For winter, they fly to coasts where the sea does not freeze.

In 2006, experts thought there were more than 180,000 whooper swans in the world. Out of these, between 10,000 and 100,000 pairs breed in Russia. Also, between one thousand and ten thousand birds spend their winter there.