A cygnet is the term for a young swan, the offspring of the large waterfowl species belonging to the genus Cygnus. These young birds are precocial, meaning they are relatively mature and mobile from the moment they hatch, allowing them to swim and run within hours. The cygnet stage is distinct, marked by rapid growth and reliance on parental guidance before the bird develops the familiar long neck and bright white plumage of its parents.
What They Look Like
A newly hatched cygnet is covered in a thick layer of down, which is generally a dusky gray or brownish color, a clear contrast to the brilliant white feathers of most adult swans. This drab coloration provides camouflage against predators during their most vulnerable stage. The bill of the young bird is typically a dull grayish-black, which will gradually change color as it matures.
The cygnet reaches nearly the size of a full-grown adult by the time the first fall arrives. While most cygnets are born with dark down, a color variation known as the “Polish” morph, primarily seen in Mute Swans, results in some cygnets having pale, beigy-white down instead. The beak changes color over the first year, transitioning from juvenile black or mottled pink to the species-specific adult color.
Early Life and Parental Care
The cygnet’s early life begins in a large nest, typically built near the water’s edge, where the mother, called a pen, incubates the eggs for around 35 days. After hatching, the cygnets remain in the nest for about a day before taking to the water and starting to forage. The father, or cob, plays a protective role, fiercely defending the territory from intruders, often using aggressive displays like busking.
Both the pen and the cob are involved in raising their young, guiding them to feeding grounds and teaching them how to find food, primarily aquatic vegetation. A famous behavior is hitching a ride, where cygnets rest and travel on the back of a parent for warmth and protection from cold water or predators. Although cygnets can feed themselves, parents often stir up sediment on the waterbed to bring up vegetation, making food easier to access.
When a Cygnet Becomes a Swan
The transition from cygnet to fully fledged swan is a gradual process marked by the replacement of their downy coat with true feathers. Around five to six weeks of age, the first proper feathers begin to appear on the wings and back, initiating the molting process. Cygnets gain the ability to fly between four and six months old, a major step toward independence, though they often remain with their family through the first winter.
The defining physical change is the acquisition of white plumage, which takes a variable amount of time depending on the species. Many cygnets begin turning predominantly white by the time they are a year old, but some species, like the Trumpeter Swan, may not achieve full adult coloration until their second summer. The cygnet stage formally ends when the young swan is driven off by its parents as the next breeding season begins, usually around 10 to 12 months after hatching.