Höckerschwan Bremen

Mute Swans favour nutrient-rich, shallow standing waters with abundant underwater vegetation, together with park ponds, fish ponds, calmer river stretches and sheltered coastal bays. The species originally bred on shallow steppe lakes and river deltas in northern and eastern Europe; large parts of the central and western European population go back to deliberate releases from the 16th century onward and to feral park swans. The Mute Swan is therefore widely described as a semi-domesticated bird, with part of the population still kept in parks and on managed waters.

In Germany the Mute Swan is specially protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act and at the same time listed in the Federal Hunting Act, with closed seasons that in most federal states cover the greater part of the year. The population is regarded as long-term stable and the IUCN classes the species as not threatened globally. Any hunting use, deterrence or derogation is governed strictly by current state law and local regulations.

For proper identification, hunters distinguish the Mute Swan from the protected Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) and Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii), which winter in Central Europe. The Mute Swan carries an orange-red bill with a black base and a clear knob, usually holds its neck in an S-shaped curve and is comparatively silent. Whooper and Bewick's Swans show a yellow-and-black bill without a knob, typically hold the neck straight and are noticeably more vocal; Bewick's Swan is also smaller and shorter-necked than the Whooper Swan.