Swans Wallpaper, #2516

Swans are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. Swans usually mate for life, though 'divorce' does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.The word "Swan" is derived from Old English Swan, akin to the German Schwan and Dutch zwaan, in turn derived from Indo-European root *swen (to sound, to sing), whence Latin derives sonis (sound). (Webster's New World Dictionary) Young Swans are known as cygnets, from the Latin word for Swan, cygnus. An adult male is a cob, from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group); an adult female is a pen from the Welsh word for loud, pynne.