Whooper swan
Amazing fact
Whooper swans may pump their heads before taking flight.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Whooper swans may pump their heads before taking flight.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Whooper swan
- Scientific name
- Cygnus cygnus
- Japanese name
- オオハクチョウ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Cygnus
This big water bird raises its young in northern Eurasia in summer, and in autumn flies to places such as Hokkaido and the Tohoku region of Japan.
Its feathers are all white, and its bill is yellow at the base with a black tip. The bill markings can be used to tell individual swans apart.
In shallow water, it digs in the mud with its webbed feet, then dips its head under to eat roots and other plant parts.
How the Whooper swan lives
In wetlands, they eat grass seeds and stems. They build nests on land, where females incubate the eggs. After leaving the nest, cygnets grow up near water under their parents’ protection.
井の頭自然文化園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: about 140 cm井の頭自然文化園
- Weight
- 7.4–15.5 kgUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Lifespan
- up to 20 years in the wild, up to 25 years in captivityUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Leaves, stems, and seeds of aquatic plants井の頭自然文化園
- Range
- Japan, Asia, Europe, and the Arctic井の頭自然文化園
Where the Whooper swan has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- オオハクチョウ
- 简体中文
- 大天鹅
- 繁體中文
- 大天鵝
- 한국어
- 큰고니
- Español
- Cisne cantor
- Français
- Cygne chanteur
- Deutsch
- Singschwan
- Português (Brasil)
- Cisne-bravo
- Italiano
- Cigno selvatico
- हिन्दी
- हूपर हंस
- العربية
- تم صداح
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Angsa whooper
- Tiếng Việt
- Thiên nga lớn
- Русский
- Лебедь-кликун
- Türkçe
- Ötücü kuğu
- ไทย
- หงส์กู่
- বাংলা
- রাজ মরাল
- اردو
- چیختا راج ہنس
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 井の頭自然文化園 — オオハクチョウChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Cygnus cygnusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Whooper swan, look for this
- Look for their black, webbed feet.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Whooper swan
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Anatidae
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