Few people indifferent to this graceful, majestic bird. Poems and legends are written about her loyalty, and she herself has become a real personification of beauty, grace and perfection. Of course, we are talking about a swan. Today, some wildlife lovers are thinking about keeping him at home, so for starters, it will be useful to find out what is the life span of swans in nature and at home.
Description and appearance of the bird
Swan (lat. Cygnus) belongs to the genus of birds of the order Anseriformes, family of ducks. Modern systematics identifies seven types of it: black, black-necked, mute swan, trumpeter, American, small and whooper.
Did you know? Curiously, a pair of black swans can sometimes consist of two males. In this case, the female who laid the eggs, they expel from the nest and hatch her nestlings.The appearance of the bird:
- weight - 15 kg and more;
- wingspan - up to two meters;
- plumage - dense, waterproof;
- color - pure, white, black or gray;
- body - strong, muscular;
- neck - long, flexible;
- paws are rather short;
- beak - with growth on the ground;
- males and females look almost the same.
Important! Birds are excellent parents and together take care of their offspring for about a year after its birth.
How many swans live
As for pets, it is quite simple to follow their life span, but with wild animals it was much more difficult. And only the ringing of birds and tracking them with the help of beacons allowed us to determine the duration of their life in the natural environment. 
By the way, Danish teacher Hans Mortensen was the first to ring the birds, putting metal rings with a number and his own address on them.
At home
In captivity, where the bird is constantly provided with good conditions and sufficient food, the duration of its life is usually longer than in the wild.
You will probably be interested to know how many years other birds live: pigeons, ducks, chickens, geese, quails.
According to statistics, at home, these birds live on average to 25 years, although there are instances that have successfully met their 30th anniversary. 
There is unconfirmed information that individual birds lived to be 50 or even 70 years old. Given that the maximum officially recorded age of wild birds was more than forty years, the first figure seems quite likely.
In nature
Research confirms that under natural conditions, the average life expectancy of this bird is 15-20 years. Even older individuals are officially registered, moreover, at that time they were alive, which means the final term of their life is even greater:
- Mute Swan (Germany) - 28 years 7 months;
- Klikun (Denmark) - 26 years 6 months;
- small (UK) - 23 years 7 months.
Read about how to breed swans at home.
But all this can not be compared with the age of the record holder. So, about nine years ago, a dead swan was found on the Danish coast, on the left paw of which a ring with the inscription "Helgoland 112851" appeared.
The archives showed that the bird was ringed on the island of Helgoland in Germany on February 21, 1970 at the age of about 2.5 years. Thus, she broke all records of longevity, having lived for more than 42 years.
Did you know? The swans, despite their rather impressive mass, fly beautifully. Some of their varieties can rise to a height of more than eight kilometers and reach speeds of up to 65 km / h.
How to increase the lifespan of swans
In order for a poultry to live a long life, you must:
- organize comfortable living conditions - a house and a fenced part of the reservoir;
- provide proper, balanced nutrition;
- provide constant access to clean and fresh water;
- do not overfeed;
- do not feed bread and other baking;
- do not give fat and salty foods;
- Do not give "human" products - sausage, chips, chocolate and more.
If the swan is sick, then you can not ignore it and let it flow, it must be treated. So, in case of poisoning, you can use a 5% glucose solution or add a little potassium permanganate to your drinking water (until light pink color).
Important! Drugs prescribed by a veterinarian should be given in mixture with small fish or minced meat.
Swan simply fascinates with its majestic appearance and makes you want to preserve its beauty as long as possible. Getting such a luxurious pet should take good care of its health and safety, and in all other respects you will have to rely on the nature and strong genetics of your new friend.
