The beautiful regal Mute Swan. The British monarch the Queen, retains the right to ownership of all mute swans

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Square picture of the s bend in a Mute swan's neck, beautiful elegant water bird For many centuries, mute swans in Britain were domesticated for food, with individuals being marked by nicks on their webs (feet) or beaks to indicate ownership. These marks were registered with the Crown and a Royal Swan herd was appointed. Any birds not so marked became Crown property, hence the swan becoming known as the "Royal Bird". It is quite possible that this domestication saved the swan from being hunted to extinction in Britain

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Size: 3460px × 3450px
Location: Devon UK
Photo credit: © Sheree Sedgbeer / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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