Mute Swan Society

Celebrating and protecting a naturalized species 

photo credit: Peggy McNiff
photo credit: Peggy McNiff

Mute Swans (whose Latin species name is cygnus olor) are intelligent, majestic, orange-beaked water birds. They have been the subject of myth and art and a symbol of beauty and love for centuries. They are admired and beloved by many in Canada and around the world for their lasting pair bonds and the care both parents give to raising their young.

Mute Swans are not actually mute. Cygnets (their young) making cheeping noises in their early months, then begin to grunt. Adults use specific calls to summon their young or warn of danger. They also grunt, snort, and even, on occasion, purr.

Two mute swans on the water, facing each other with their heads making a heart shape

Iconic waterbirds

Mute Swans are the intelligent, majestic, orange-beaked waterbirds that have been the subject of myth and art and a symbol of beauty and love for centuries. They are admired for their lasting pair bonds and the care both parents give to raising their young.

Longstanding wetland residents

Swans have been on earth for 11 million years – about twice as long as humans. Mute Swans have nested in Ontario for over 65 years, or more than 18 generations.

Long Standing Wetland Residents hatching
Mute swan on the shore with the Toronto skyline in the background

Accessible wildlife

Mute Swans are well adapted to urban environments, they are comfortable around people, and they keep other Mute Swans out of their territories, so people come to recognize and know individual birds, and vice versa. We have bonds with swans that are hard to form with any other wild animal.

Vulnerable

Mute Swan eggs are routinely destroyed across Ontario and adults are killed on federal and private property. Research suggests that this is unnecessary and that Mute Swans are scapegoats for human environmental degradation.

Mother mute swan with baby chicks

Who We Are

The Mute Swan Society is an all-volunteer community of Ontarians, Canadians, and others around the world who enjoy, admire, and value Mute Swans. We recognize and celebrate their long-standing presence in our wetlands and waterways and are dedicated to their welfare. 

Our mission is to ensure the wellbeing of wild Mute Swans in Canada.

Stay current on how we are working to
protect Mute Swans

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