Whooper swan with young on nest (photo from Wikimedia)

26 June 2026

This week I received a video from our friends in Finland where the whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) have returned to the lake outside their cottage. When we visited Finland last year I was disappointed that no whoopers were breeding nearby. Erkki was happy to show me the swans are back.

Whooper swans nest on shorelines and islands at lakes like Rikkavesi because …

Whooper swans require large areas of water to live in, especially when they are still growing because their body weight cannot be supported by their legs for extended periods. The whooper swan spends much of its time swimming, straining the water for food, or eating plants that grow on the bottom.

When the cygnets are small they can disappear in the grasses.

“For years now, this swan couple has come to our island in the spring to hatch” Lake Leppävesi, Finland, (photo from WIkimedia)

By the end of summer they are full grown in immature plumage.

Adult and immature whooper swans on Päijänne lake, Jyväskylä, Finland (photo from Wikimedia)

When they mature at age 2-4, they pair up and mate for life. Pairs always stays together. This is made possible by signaling their next move to each other.

When whooper swans prepare to go on a flight as a flock, they use a variety of signaling movements communicate with each other. These movements include head bobs, head shakes, and wing flaps and influence whether the flock will take flight and if so, which individual will take the lead. … This signaling method may be a way for paired mates to stay together in flight. Observational evidence indicates that a swan whose mate is paying attention to and participates in its partner’s signals will be more likely to follow through with the flight. Thus, if a whooper swan begins initiating flight signals, it will be less likely to actually carry through with the flight if its mate is not paying attention and is therefore less likely to join it.

Loud calling is part of the signal.

And they’re off!

Pair of whooper swans in flight in Oulu, Finland (photo from Wikimedia)