Coming across a swan in the United States is a rarity and usually only one or two are spotted at a time. Most often these swans have been domesticated to remain in one pond, lake or zoo habitat. It was a pure pleasure to witness Mute Swans in almost every river and lake we passed by in our European travels this summer. The brownish grey Mute Swan here is a juvenille, aka cygnet. CLICK HERE for more information on this beautiful bird. Copyright 2019 Pamela BreitbergCignets, young swans, reach their full size within three months of being born. For this reason I’m unsure if the white Mute Swan is a parent or juvenille who’s lost it’s initial grey colors. Truly no ugly ducklings here. I suppose, because they are a rare sight in the U.S. and therefore very much treasured, I was pleasantly surprised to see the lack of arrogance in the swagger of European Mute Swans; they were just neighbors in the neighborhood. Copyright 2019 Pamela Breitberg
