Skip to Content

All About Birds

All About Birds

Mute Swan

Overview
ID Info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Mute Swan Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Massachusetts, June 10, 1983Recorded by Dolly Minis | Macaulay Library
Hiss
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Massachusetts, May 08, 2010Recorded by Ian Davies

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Calls

Mute Swans aren’t mute, but their hoarse, muffled trumpet or bugle call given during territorial defense doesn’t carry like the calls of other swan species. Mute Swans also make an explosive snorting or hissing when threatened or disturbed. Mates greet each other with a short, snoring sound, and females solicit their mates with a slow glock, glock call. Female swans call to their broods with a sound like a yapping puppy. When in a group Mute Swans growl, whistle, and snort at each other. Cygnets whistle a soft, low-volume contact call when preening or feeding with adults, and peep noisily at a high pitch when distressed or lost.

Other Sounds

As they land Mute Swans slap the water with their feet, either pattering alternately or striking simultaneously, to alert possible intruders. In flight the swan’s wings make a rhythmic humming or whistling sound that carries more than a mile and may help the birds communicate with each other.

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

Looking for ID Help?

Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family:Anatidae)

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Greater White-fronted Goose

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Eurasian Wigeon

American Wigeon

American Black Duck

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Ring-necked Duck

Steller's Eider

White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

Bird Academy
Bird Song Hero
How to Choose the Right Kind of Bird Feeder
Living Bird Magazine
They Had Feathers: Is the World Ready to See Dinosaurs as They Really Were?

6 Steps to Choosing a Pair of Binoculars You'll Love
eBird
eBird: Help & FAQ
NestWatch
Right Bird, Right House: Guide to Birds and Birdhouses for Your Region

Copyright © 2019 Cornell University

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

New call-to-action

Do not show this again

Search

Or Browse Bird Guide by Family or Shape

Get Instant ID Help

Don't miss a thing! Join our email list

The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.