Description:

A large, elegant swan with gracefully curved neck, dished pale bill with black base and long pointed tail. Neck usually held more curved than Whooper and Tundra Swan. Adult is white with orange bill with black base and knob. Juvenile is mottled sooty-brown and has grey bill with black base.

Distribution:

Vagrant to major waterways and lakes in Gilgit-Baltistan, with no latest records. Landing in the region during cloudy/harsh weather, at lakes, marshes, rivers and streams with fringe vegetation up to 3500m, avoiding turbulent waters.

Behavior:

Feeds mostly by dabbling on water surface, dipping head and neck, and upending; seldom dives, but sometimes grazes terrestrially on grasses and cereals, especially in late winter when aquatic vegetation has been depleted. Primarily leafy parts of aquatic vegetation and grain; minor quantities of grasses, small amphibians and aquatic invertebrates are also taken, occasionally fish and raw meat.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Mute Swan in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Mute Swan

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.