hump-swans probably is the most known ones of all swans. Already in the 16. and 17. One naturalized century it in many places. The original spread-area extends from Northern Germany and the British islands over Denmark and Sweden to Asia (Siberia and Mongolia). The English game-occurrences have existed for a long time no more, because in the 12. Hump-swans became century already the "property" of the kings; today, neglected descendants of "park-swans" spread also in Western Europe, North-Scandinavia as well as at North America's East coast, in Australia and in New Zealand.
Shape Hump-swans often has be a fully white plumage, only the youth-dress and the first both yearly-clothes brown-gray, later increasingly knows. With adult animals, the beak shines orange-red; the colors become very intensive particularly to the incubation. Both sexes resemble from, only the black beak-hump at the basis of the waiter-beak, only with the sexually mature in the age from 3-4 years is developed fully it, is more strongly trained with male animals. Hump-swans weigh on average approximately 10-14 kg, but also 20 kg is heavy animals no big rarity.
Habitat Slowly flowing or standing sweet-waters are the preferred habitat of hump-swans, but also in the Brackwasser from estuaries and on small, the Swedish coast of offshore islands, they feel native.
Nutrition Hump-swans look during the day and also with night for food; they pull off grass and swimming water-plants on that occasion or question also plants until water deep to 1,5 m out. Animal food is picked up by chance together with water-plants probably only more.
Reproduction Hump-swans verpaaren itself in the age of 2-5 years and usually stays together long its life. Already in the hibernation-area (half-wild animals spend the winter usually on the spot) or on the retreat in the spring begins them perform courtship display of the wild hump-swans. As soon as the ice melted down, the brood-pair takes its approximately one square-kilometer of big Nistbezirk in property, with favorable brood-conditions, swans also nest more densely together; half-tame animals manage on much less area anyway.
The nest, hump-swans set seaweed u on dry, elevated locations from reed, grass. ä.; the Nistmulde even is padded soft. The outer nest-diameter amounts until 2 m, the height by 0,5 m.
The nest consists of 4-9 gray-green eggs (size approximately 12 x 7,3 cm, weight 266 for 374 g), that become mainly erbrütet from middle April from the female for 35-36 days from the last egg on.
In the age of 41/2 months, the squabs can then fly halfway, they usually stay in the family-system with the parents until the beginning of the new brood-menstruation, however. Against end of the winter, they are expelled by the male.
Life expectancy The oldest rang (wild), an old of 19 years reached hump-swans, however is the mortality very highly in the first years of life. Examinations at English populations showed cancellation-quotas of 40-50 percent in the first year of life. Already verpaarte hump-swans had losses, unverpaarte not-breeders even 35 percent, within 5 years 20 of percent.
Pond-swans Under the care of the human being, possibly fed from persons out for a walk regularly and looked after very well from park and game-guards with "Schwanenhäuschen" as Nistplatz, the swans have Z on our waters for itself. T. already to the immense number increased. Aggressively, as the hump-swan, particularly during the brood-period, simply is, it often forms a danger for other waterfowls, above all for ducks and pond-chickens.
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