Whooper swans can’t support their own bodyweight out of water for long, but they’re powerful fliers.
They’re usually about 1.5m long with a wingspan of 2.4m, and weigh 8 to 20 kg. Both males and females whooper swans have white plumage with black webbed feet and legs.
Their young are light gray-brown. Compared with other swans, their beaks are yellow and the yellow part of the beak is wider. They live in shallow waters such as reservoirs, paddy fields, lakes, estuaries, and shores. They swim with a straight neck and their beak is parallel to the water surface. Standing in a swamp where the water is not deep, they eat various roots, plankton, and aquatic insects. They overwinter in lakes and on shores throughout Korea, including Gangneung, Gangwon-do, Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, Changnyeong, Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, Haenam, Jeollanam-do, and Sihwaho, Gyeonggi-do. Overseas, they breed in the tundra region from Iceland to Siberia in Northern Europe, and overwinter in the Mediterranean Sea, northern India, and Korea and Japan.They were designated as a Korea’s Natural Monument No. 201.
Chordata > Aves > Anseriformes > Anatidae > Cygnus
Interested in Natural history?
Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.