Territorial Behaviors & Boundaries
of
 The
Swans in Western Pond
Research Questions

How far does the
territory of the mute
swans in Western Pond
extend beyond the
perimeter of the pond?

How do they react to
different stimulus in
their environment?
Purpose

Our goal for this project is to help the students at
Miami University better understand the swans.
This way they will be able to enjoy the swans
safely and happily.
Hypothesis

The territory of the
swans does not
extend past:

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

The banks of the pond
The road
The bridge on the West bank
The trees on the South bank
Western Pond
Predictions

The swans will be seen by the North and East
banks most often.
• These banks are sunny and the farthest away from cars and pedestrians.

When we approach the pond we expect the
swans to come over to us and beg for food.
• They are used to being fed by the grounds keepers and the students of
Miami University.

The swans will probably show threatening
displays if we approach them within three feet on
land.
• The male will arch his neck, spread his feathers, and make hissing noises
What Do You Plan To Accomplish?
 Through
our research we hope to illustrate
that swans are usually not aggressive
unless they are provoked or feel
threatened.
 Our plan is to relieve some of the fear that
people have towards these birds, and
show that they are beautiful, and
interesting creatures.
Background
Information
Mute Swans
 Species:


Cygnus olors (Ivory, 2002)
"are the most common swans in the wild," (Reily, 1968)
"This huge swan is one of the heaviest flying birds" (Wikipedia,
2004)
Introduction

The swan is a majestic waterfowl, "recognized as a symbol of
elegance and grace in myth and legend" (Mackenzie 1988).


Swans are believed to descend from domesticated birds of the
medieval era.


Artists such as the famous musician Tchaikovsky (ballet Swan Lake) have
immortalized their beauty.
Swans were originally bred for their meat in European nations.
There are arguably- seven different species of swan" (Mackenzie,
1988).
Appearance

White plumage
 Black webbed feet
 Red-orange bill
 Black knob of skin
where the bill
connects to the head
…Appearance Continued
The wingspan of the Mute Swan is
between 2 and 2.5 meters long. Its' height
ranges from 144 to one 158 centimeters.
"The two sexes are alike in appearance,
except that males are generally larger than
females" (Reily, 1968; Terres, 1980)
What do baby mute swans look like?
QuickTime™ and a
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QuickTime™ and a
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
Baby Mute Swans are "called
'cygnets'" and their coloration is
"brown rather than white, and lack
the bright red bill" (Wikipedia,
2004).
 While in the juvenile stage, some
brown feathers are still present
and the bills are less colorful.
 Mute Swans stay in the juvenile
stage until about one year of age.
Habitat

Mute Swans "live in well-sheltered bays,
open marshes, lakes and ponds" (Reily,
1968; Terres, 1980).

Any body of water that has shallow areas
with sufficient food sources for raising
cygnets is a suitable habitat for Mute Swans.

Mute Swans prefer lakes or ponds that
contain small islands suspended by the
water.
They use these islands, or shallow banks, to
build their nests, because these locations are
easier to protect from predacious land
mammals.
This species is adaptive to new environments.


Where Are Mute Swans From?

The Mute Swan is found naturally "in temperate areas of Europe and
Western Asia," but numbers in North America are rising steadily since its
introduction.

Mute Swans appeared in North America after being released, for ornamental
purposes during the nineteenth century, in the Hudson Valley "as a park bird"
(Johnsgard, 1975).

since Mute Swans are reproducing so well in North American habitats, they are
competing with some of the native species of waterfowl for food and territory. "This
bird is very aggressive, and has been known to drive off such stubborn and similarly
sized species as Canadian Geese and Trumpeter Swans" (Granlund, McPeek, and
Adams, 1994). Some wildlife managers consider Mute Swans an invasive species
and are making attempts to control the spread of their population in North America to
protect the integrity of some of the native species of birds.
Diet and Eating Habits

Aquatic vegetation

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Pondweeds
musk grass
eelgrass
green algae
Aquatic insects
Fish
Frogs
Mollusks on rare occasions
Waste grain or other terrestrial grasses
Unlike other waterfowl, species of swans do not dive; they have evolved
long necks that they use for grazing on submerged plants under water.



"Mute swans can reach underwater foods up to 50 centimeters below the surface by
upending," (Johnsgard, 1975).
Mute Swans spend a large portion of every day grazing, and ”adults eat an average of 8.4
pounds of vegetation per day" (Johnsgard, 1975).
In the winter, swans in captivity are feed a good quantity of grains, "but lack of green food
results in inferior condition and poor breeding" (Johnsgrad, 1975).
•
Therefore, captive swans are fed lettuce, grass, and other weeds when there are no other plants alive.
Behavior and Territory
Partnerships


One of the only species that have
long-term monogamous relationships
In a study by Clive Minton of
continuous partnerships of Mute
Swans, in 1968, he found that only 52
divorce events occurred in 492 pairs of
Mute Swans.


This is a 10.6% divorce rate, 42% of
which occurred because of severe
weather circumstance (Minton, 1968).
These long-term relationships have
expressed great success in
procreation and viability of offspring.

This monogamous style of mating is
one of the primary reasons for the
increasing number of Mute Swans in
North American habitats.
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Sexual Behavior

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
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To begin the mating ritual, both the male and
female swans conduct a series of threat
postures, followed by "mutual calling while
Chin-Lifting" (Johnsgard, 1975).
There behavioral movements become
synchronized in Head-dipping, preening,
and up-ending.
During the ritual "the wings are held very
low, often dragging in the water" (Johnsgard,
1975).
Eventually, the male "gradually pushes his
neck and body over the female, and after
treading the birds call and rise partially out
of the water," (Johnsgard, 1975).


This is the portion of the mating ritual that is
quite fascinating, because both swans
actually look like they are attempting to dance
on top of the water.
As the final stage of this dance the pair,
"lowers their bills and turns their heads in
unison from side to side, gradually subsiding
into the water" (Johnsgard, 1975).
Mute Swans
in Culture
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leda with the Swan (1506)
Salvador Dali
Swans Reflecting Elephants (1937)
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
Symbolism:

The Mute Swan has been
honored by Western Asia as a
symbol of everlasting love.
• They are considered romantic
birds because they are beautiful
and graceful creatures, and
almost always seen in
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male/female pairs.

Literature:

Berthe Morisot's
Summer’s Day (1879)

Hans Christian Andersen's "The
Ugly Duckling".
Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax."
• The Swomee-Swans play a vital
role in this book. "My poor
Swomee-Swans...why they can't
sing a not! No one can sing who
has smog in his throat."
Swan Lake
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Research Design
Experimental Design

On a daily basis we will go down to the pond to record data on the swans.



We will experiment with walking up to the swans. We will test how close we can approach, while
the swans feel comfortable. When we walk up to them we will watch to see if they stop what they
are doing.


When we approach the swans we will find out about how territorial and aggressive they are.
Another experiment will be the “mirror test.” We will place a mirror near the pond, and watch the
reactions the swans have.


We will take qualitative data in the location portion on our data sheet, using the sections of the banks that we
have marked on our map.
The averages from our data will be made into maps and graphs.
The experiment with the mirror will show us how the swans react to predators and other birds.
Our experimental techniques are designed to answer our research questions completely. Our data
sheet and graphs will tell us the boundaries of the swan’s territory and where they spend the most
time.
Materials and Methods

Digital camera (w\ audio recording capabilities):

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Scanner:

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to create maps and crop pictures
Data sheet
imovie program:


to copy maps and pictures onto computer
Maps of Miami University (Including Western Pond)
Photoshop:


to take pictures of the swans and their habitat.
We will also collect samples of the sounds that the swans make.
to record experiments
Laptop:

to use imovie and Photoshop
Class Participation

We are asking the class to go over to the pond at least four times during this
semester to record data for our group.


We will add the information we receive from our classmates into our group data sheet to
acquire a broader amount of statistical data for our graphs.
If you have not finished filling out your data sheet it would be helpful if you would
make your visits to the pond in the morning.