Swans belong to the Anatidae family, which includes the genus Cygnus. Geese and ducks are the closest cousins of swans. Swans belong to the Anserinae subfamily, where they compose the tribe Cygnini alongside closely related geese. They are sometimes classified as a separate subfamily, Cygninae. Swans are divided into six extant and numerous extinct species, as well as a species known as the coscoroba swan, which is no longer regarded a real swan. Swans typically pair for life, however “divorce” does occur occasionally, especially after a failed nesting attempt, and if one spouse dies, the remaining swan will mate with another. Each clutch contains anything from three to eight eggs.

Swans are among the biggest flying birds and the largest extant members of the waterfowl family Anatidae. The mute swan, trumpeter swan, and whooper swan are among the biggest extant species, reaching lengths of over 1.5 m (59 in) and weighing over 15 kg (33 lb). Their wingspans may reach 3.1 meters (10 ft). They are significantly bigger and have proportionately larger feet and necks than closely related geese. Between the eyes and the bill, adults have a patch of unfeathered skin. Males and females have similar plumage, although males are typically larger and heavier. Cygnus falconeri, a flightless gigantic swan known from fossils discovered on the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Sicily, was the world’s largest swan species.

Swans in the Northern Hemisphere have pure white plumage, whilst those in the Southern Hemisphere have a combination of black and white. Except for the white flying feathers on its wings, the Australian black swan (Cygnus atratus) is entirely black; black swan babies are light grey. The black-necked swan of South America has a white body and a black neck.

Except for the South American black-necked swan, which has pink legs, swans’ legs are usually a dark blackish grey color. The four subarctic species have black bills with various degrees of yellow, while the rest have red and black striped bills. Although birds lack teeth, swans, like other Anatidae, have serrated edges on their beaks that resemble little jagged ‘teeth.’ These serrated edges are utilized to grab and eat water plants and algae, as well as mollusks, small fish, frogs, and worms. Both sexes of the mute and black-necked swans have a fleshy bulge on the upper mandible at the base of their bills known as knob, which is bigger in males and condition dependant, changing periodically.

Swans eat both on land and in the water. Although they eat tiny amounts of aquatic creatures, they are virtually exclusively herbivorous. Food is obtained by upending or dipping in the water, and their diet consists of aquatic and submerged plant roots, tubers, stems, and leaves.

The South American coscoroba swan (Coscoroba coscoroba), the sole species in the genus, is apparently not a genuine swan. Its evolutionary position isn’t completely clear; in some ways, it resembles geese and shelducks.

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