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As one of nature's most elegant and graceful creatures, the swan is a welcome sight in Britain's parks and lakes. At the latest count, there were around 55,850 swans in the UK, according to statistics from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's waterbird monitoring programme: this comprises 32,000 Mute swans; 19,500 Whooper swans; and 4,350 Bewick's swans. There is also a very small population of black swans, which are sometimes seen at WWT reserves as part of their breeding programme. However, they are not UK natives and it's a rare treat if you spot one. All species of swan mate for life. However, it's a myth that if one swan dies, the other will pine to death for its lost mate. Just like humans, swans can meet another mate following the loss of their long-term partner.   Mute swans In the UK all year round, the most common British species is the Mute swan. It is identified by its orange and black bill, with a large, knobbly mass at the top. Despite their name, they are certainly not mute! They spend a lot of time communicating in a series of coarse grunts that don't sound very bird-like. You will hear a Mute swan coming before you see it, not only because of its cries but also due to its large wings flapping loudly. A slow flyer, it has a heavier and louder wing beat than the other two UK species. It can grow to more than 1.5 metres long and weigh more than 15 kg, with a wingspan of around 3.1 metres or more. However, it's a myth that a swan can break a person's arm with a beat of its wings – thankfully! Their nest is a huge mound of materials including dried grasses, sticks, assorted vegetation and rushes built at the edge of the water. The female builds the nest and the male brings the materials. The swans feed on aquatic vegetation, molluscs, frogs, small fish and worms. The female lays about seven eggs in April or May, although both the mother and father birds share the incubation duties until the eggs hatch.  Light brown, with a whitish underside; the cygnets can remain with their parents for up to five months, sometimes riding on their back. Often, the young will accompany their parents to the area where they spend winter, joining a large flock. In spring, the adult birds return to their breeding site. The young generally don't breed during their first two years of life. The oldest recorded Mute swan lived to 15 years of age.   Whooper swans The Whooper swan breeds in Iceland and spends the winter primarily in Britain and Ireland, where the weather is milder. Small numbers remain in Iceland, while others migrate across Europe. Completing a long sea crossing and migrating up to 1,400 km between Iceland and the UK; the UK population swells to 19,500 in the winter but is considerably smaller when the birds return to Iceland during the spring and summer months. Weighing up to 11 kg, they can grow up to 160 cm long and have a wingspan of between 205 cm and 235 cm. The adults have a long, black and yellow beak, which looks quite duck-like. Cygnets and juvenile birds have downy brown-grey plumage, while their beak is a pinkish hue with a black tip. According to the RSPB, which monitors 23 breeding pairs of Whopper swans as part of its research; their diet includes aquatic plants, grass, grain and potatoes. Commonly found on farmland, grassland and in marine and wetland environments, they prefer a habitat with thicker vegetation due to the additional protection it provides for their eggs and cygnets. The female usually lays between four and seven eggs, once a year, with the highest recorded number in a single brood being 12. This is exceptional, however. Like other species of swan, the Whooper is monogamous and pairs for life. The fledglings first learn to fly at between 78 to 96 days and become independent at one year old but don't start to breed until the age of four.   Bewick's swan As the rarest of the three swan species in Britain, the Bewick is much smaller than the Whooper and Mute. With a straighter, shorter neck, it has a yellow and black bill, with a gentle curve. It can grow to a length of 127 cm from bill to tail, including its long neck. The Bewick's swan has a wingspan of 170 cm to 195 cm and weighs just under 6 kg on average. Like the Whooper, Bewick's migrate a considerable distance to spend winter in Britain. They fly a hazardous 3,500 km route from their breeding sites in Russia to the UK's warmer winter climes. However, the alternative to migrating to Britain is being stranded in the freezing snow and ice of the arctic Russian winter. There is a total winter population across Europe of around 23,000 Bewick's. In the UK, they often feed in fields on leftover potatoes and grain, although they also eat aquatic plants and grass. They do not breed until they are four years old, and their typical lifespan is nine years. Like the other species, Bewick's mate for life. Once they have wintered in Britain, they migrate back to Russia between mid-February and early April, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.   Does the Queen really own all Britain's swans? Queen Elizabeth II can claim ownership of all unmarked Mute swans that swim in open waters across the UK, thanks to a 12th-century law. This 800-year-old tradition is accompanied by an annual ritual of counting the swans owned by the Queen in a ceremony known as "Swan Upping". While it was more of a royal ritual centuries ago, it plays a key role in swan conservation in the 21st century. The swan count is carried out by three teams: one representing the Queen and the others representing old trade associations, the Vintners and Dyers. The Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers have shared ownership of Mute swans for "time immemorial". This was fixed by statute by order of Richard I in 1189. The annual Swan Upping event is held in the third week of July. In historical times, it was to check there were enough swans for royal feasts! Considered a delicacy, swans were often served at royal banquets. However, today, the reason is to conserve swans, not kill them. They have become a protected species and killing and eating them is illegal. The purpose of Swan Upping is to count the swans on the River Thames to ensure they are healthy. Over five days, the swans and their cygnets are captured, tagged and released again to monitor their wellbeing. The event also educates people about the importance of swans and our British wildlife. There have been more than 100 new cygnets on the Thames in recent counts. The Queen's team of Uppers are easily recognised in their red shirts, emblazoned with the royal logo. The "swan marker" who directs them wears a gold-embroidered ceremonial blazer. According to the law, the Queen can own any swan swimming in open waters anywhere in the UK if she wishes, but in reality, the Swan Upping today sees Her Majesty mainly exercising her rights on the Thames. It is all about conservation and education, in a complete U-turn from bygone times.   Swans in folklore Wild swans are familiar figures in folklore, myth and art all over the world. When archaeologists found the body of a mother and new-born baby in a 6,300-year-old grave at Vedbaek, in Denmark, the infant was cradled in a swan's wings, in the belief its huge wings would carry the tiny soul to the afterlife. Swans are commonly linked to transformations. The most famous example is the 19th century Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling. The dowdy duckling was miserable because he was snubbed by his peers, who thought him drab. However, he then grew up to be a beautiful swan, giving people a lesson in not judging anyone by their appearance, because there's much more to them. A similar moral tale was behind the most famous of all swan tales in the arts, Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet, Swan Lake. The soaring music and choreography revolve around the elegant form of the symbolic bird. The story carries a mythical message, depicting an enduring union between lovers, who are humans and swans simultaneously.   Where to spot swans Although swans are typically found in lakes and freshwater locations, they are often spotted in sheltered harbours and estuaries in the calmer summer months, although food is not as plentiful there – they will often divide their time between the water and nearby arable fields, where they will feed on young shoots. If you are tempted to feed the swans, just be mindful of the fact that too much bread is not good for them!