Growing up to be just like dad

Most swans mate for life. Males are called cobs, females are called pens and young are called cygnets. Swans families stick together for about a year. The cygnets get adult plumage at about 15 months but can enter the water soon after hatching.

To achieve flight, swans face the wind, run along the surface of the water for 15 to 20 feet, flap their wings, and beat the water with their feet alternately until they have gained sufficient headway to launch into the air. During flight in v-shaped formations, swans achieve speeds up to 100 miles an hour with a tail wind.