Mute Swan by the Bay

A very beautiful Mute Swan, Cygnus olor, in the middle of preening itself on a small floating dock tied to one of the fishing piers in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay in New York City. There are two or three pairs of swans that call the bay their home.

Mute Swans mate for life, and are not actually mute, although they are not as vocal as other swan species. If disturbed or threatened, they can become quite aggressive and hiss, as many humans have learned. Their young, called "cygnets," are often grey. Mute Swans are in introduced and invasive species throughout much of the world.