What can you feed swans on a lake or sea without harming them?

The basis of the diet of wild and domesticated birds is food of plant origin, as well as small insects and their larvae, fish fry, amphibians and even mollusks. For domesticated birds, a balanced diet is very important - overfeeding, underfeeding or low-quality, unsuitable food can cause serious digestive problems and even lead to death.

Swans feeding in nature

What do wild swans eat?

In nature, swans prefer to feed in shallow water: most species do not know how to dive and retrieve food from the bottom using their long necks. The basis of the diet is plant foods:

• Stems and shoots of aquatic plants,
• Rhizomes of aquatic plants,
• Duckweed,
• Seaweed.

Swans also love to feast on small fish, insect larvae and insects, mollusks and invertebrates. They filter bottom silt in search of food. Having caught a frog or fish, they do not swallow it immediately, but wait until the water flows out of their beak.

Swan caught a fish

Birds are very territorial and prefer not to fly far in search of food, so when the usual plant food runs out, they can begin to pluck the grass around the pond, destroy bird nests, catch larger fish or eat coarser aquatic plants.

Swan eats seaweed

Natural conditions

Swans always choose shallow bodies of water with abundant vegetation. This is vital for them. They build nests among thick tall grass, and numerous algae become their food. They are easier to get in shallow water. The swan is capable of diving to a depth of 90 cm. Using its long neck, it can reach the bottom, tearing off the stems and leaves of plants. In addition to algae, birds also find other food in the pond:

• small fish;
• caviar;
• bloodworm;
• shellfish;
• Small crustaceans are a special treat.

During the molting period, swans require more vitamins and mineral salts, so they can go ashore in search of nutritious food. On land they move slowly, waddling from one side to the other. When outside the reservoir, birds become inactive, which makes them vulnerable. They cannot take off from the ground or all their movements are slow and clumsy. On the shore they eat green grass rich in vitamins. The following vegetation is preferable for swans:

• clover;
• alfalfa;
• dandelions;
• plantain;
• sometimes a flock can land on a field with cereal plants; birds love oats, wheat, barley;
• Corn is useful for them, both young shoots and mature cobs.

The flock rarely grazes in the fields. If this happens, then she just needs to be scared. Killing swans is prohibited. They are listed in the Red Book. Unfortunately, having experienced stress, they can leave not only the field, but also the pond. Ornithologists recommend feeding the birds a little by scattering grain on the shore. This will help preserve the crops.

You should be careful with feeding. Constantly helping birds and looking for food is not recommended. They quickly get used to people and new conditions. The swans will simply stop looking for food, hoping for human help. There is another situation where you can bring them extra food. This is winter time, frost -15 C. For some reason, a flock or individual individuals may not migrate and remain in the reservoir.

In winter, the bird becomes inactive. She moves slowly in the ice hole, saving energy and body heat. You can expand it with wormwood and place food on the ice. They need help if icicles are found on their feathers or beak. This means that the swans are freezing and can no longer warm themselves. A crust of ice on the beak will prevent the bird from eating. Frostbite of the extremities will lead to necrosis. The bird will die.

Ornithologists or farm keepers take the livestock to warm farms. This is difficult to do because the individuals will defend themselves. They resort to the help of veterinarians who give injections with sleeping pills. When keeping livestock on a farmstead, it is necessary to organize a certain diet. What to feed swans in households?

Features of nutrition of different types

What swans eat in the wild depends largely on the type and location of nesting. Small swans, nesting in northern latitudes, are excellent fishermen. Due to the frequent lack of natural vegetation, they became adept at catching fish and crustaceans, mollusks, and amphibians. Birds not only eat frogs, but can also catch a small snake.

Swan grazing on the shore

On occasion, whoopers and mute mutes will not miss the opportunity to feast on potatoes, corn, and grain crops in agricultural fields. If there are rural fields near the nesting sites, the birds will make frequent raids.

Mutes prefer only plant foods; they practically do not eat fish or frogs. Even if food is scarce, birds may prefer fasting to animal food.

Australian black swans are also vegetarians. If there is not enough plant food, the birds fly to a new place of residence or feeding grounds. The black swan eats fry of fish, amphibians and other animal food only on rare occasions.

The swan caught the gosling

What to feed the birds in the park. What to feed the birds wintering in the parks of the Eastern District?

Birds do not fly away from Moscow for the winter, because they are being taken care of better and better/Mospriroda State Budgetary Institution

Winter has come, the birds are drawn to the feeders. It is imperative to feed birds, because in winter up to 80% of birds die from hunger: lack of food causes hypothermia. In cold weather only well-fed birds are warm. It is important to know which birds live in parks in winter and choose what suits their taste. This is what the founder of the Falconry Museum, Konstantin Sokolov, advises.

Who winters in parks?

Blackbirds, like other birds, are increasingly staying in the city for the winter/Alexey Komarov/wikimedia.org

Today, in the Izmailovsky, Terletsky, Losinoostrovsky forest parks, and in other green areas of the district, significantly more bird species remain for the winter than before. The reason is milder winters and the activity of residents, who have been taking better care of birds in recent years.

This is who you can meet in our parks in winter.

What do tits eat?

Tits can be fed with seeds, but not salted or fried/pxhere.com

Tits of all types - blue tits, blue tits and others. Many people think that they fly to the city to spend the winter, but this is not so. The tit is a permanent resident of the capital region. In summer, she has enough natural food, and she does not show herself. But in winter it moves closer to people. Tits have long realized that humans are feeding them, and in those places where feeders are hung, they often take food from hands.

Tits can be fed with seeds, but not salted or fried. They also love raw, unsalted lard. It should not be placed in a feeder, but mounted on a tree trunk or hung on a branch.

How to feed bullfinch and thrush?

The favorite food of bullfinches is rowan berries / Francis C. Franklin

Bullfinches, like tits, are permanent inhabitants of forest parks. In winter, they completely switch to a vegetarian “diet”, eating plant seeds. Their favorite food is rowan berries. Moreover, they do not eat the berries themselves, but peck out the seeds from them. It is better not to put rowan bunches harvested in the fall in feeders, but to hang them on a tree.

Four species of blackbirds - blackbird, songbird, fieldfare and white-browed - have traditionally flown to warmer regions for the winter, but in recent years they can increasingly be seen in the city in winter. They run around the streets like pigeons, feeding on everything they can find. And they spend the night in industrial zones, in areas of heating mains. Their favorite delicacy, like the bullfinch, is rowan.

What do goldfinches like?

Goldfinches will willingly peck seeds of rapeseed, flax, thistle, burdock, canary seed/Komarov Alexey/wikimedia.org

Goldfinches, like blackbirds, usually migrated south for the winter, but in recent years they have not always wintered in warm countries. Today, these bright, elegant birds are increasingly seen in winter at feeders, but only where there is open water. Goldfinches will readily peck rapeseed, flax, thistle, burdock, and canary seed.

Crossbill preferences

Crossbills feed mainly on the seeds of coniferous trees/wikipedia.org

Crossbills are winter guests of our parks; you won’t see them at the feeders in the summer. It is not for nothing that they are called northern parrots: they are very beautiful, of different colors - red-crimson, orange-yellow, greenish-gray. They feed mainly on the seeds of coniferous trees, so cones are suitable for them. The crossbill feeds interestingly: it hangs on a cone upside down and pecks seeds from it, so the cones, like rowan trees for thrushes, must be hung on branches.

What would waxwings eat?

Waxwings' favorite treat is berries/wikipedia.org

Waxwings are also winter guests of our parks. Like crossbills, they are very beautiful. They are easy to recognize from afar by the perky crest on their heads. Favorite treat: berries. Because of this “diet,” sad incidents often happen to them: in the fall and winter, the berries on the branches sometimes begin to ferment. The waxwings peck them and find themselves in the condition of a person who has “taken to the breast” well.

What do domestic swans eat?

The diet of domesticated or domestic swans very often differs from what swans eat in the wild. The explanation is simple - the diet of birds is more balanced and varied, since humans can provide birds with a large selection of different foods. However, it is worth remembering that the diet should still be as close to natural as possible.

Swans should be fed natural food of plant and animal origin.

Swan grazing on the shore

The former include grass, hay, root vegetables and vegetables, fruits and grains. The second includes meat waste, milk and dairy products, meat and fish. Dairy products are especially important in the diet of young birds - young birds will grow more actively if they are given a little fermented milk or cottage cheese.

Regardless of age, a white swan can be fed with small live river fish. If the fish is very large or has been frozen, it is recommended to boil it or grind it into mince. Very often, minced fish is fed to birds during the molting period. Fish contains a lot of animal proteins and important amino acids necessary for the formation of fluff and feathers.

Young swan eats plants

In the summer, it is very important to provide birds with green, fresh food. You can give:

• Clover,
• nettle,
• Lucerne,
• Vika,
• Dandelion,
• Meadow grass.

From root vegetables you can feed:

• Potato,
• carrots,
• Beetroot.

From vegetables:

• pumpkin,
• White cabbage,
• Zucchini,
• Tomatoes.

Black swan eats an apple

From fruits:

• Pears,
• Apples,
• Grape.

From berries:

• Strawberries,
• Strawberries,
• Blueberries,
• Sweet gooseberry.

Is it possible to give bread

Swans can eat almost all types of grains, as well as bran and rolled oats. However, whether it is possible to feed swans bread, like a grain-containing product, is a controversial issue. In city parks and zoos you can see a swan happily eating the offered bread and crackers, but ornithologists and veterinarians have not come to a consensus about the dangers or benefits of this product. Fresh bread in small quantities will not cause harm, but the bread must be soaked in water. Swans can be fed both black and white bread - the main thing is not to feed more than a few pieces. Bread with mold, dry, stale can cause digestive problems and poisoning.

Bread is undesirable for swans

Diet of domestic swans

When compiling a bird’s diet, it is imperative to take into account the age and time of year. There is a big difference in what swans eat in summer and winter. During the summer months, the main food source is grass, algae and root vegetables. During the winter months, birds eat more concentrates and grain feeds.

It is important to consider the calorie content of food. One adult needs about 900 kcal per day.

When thinking about feeding, it is worth remembering that mineral supplements and vitamins should be included in the diet.

Approximate daily diet for one adult bird:

Natural enemies

Swans are considered quite strong birds, so adult swans do not have many natural enemies. But birds, which are not yet able to protect themselves or escape from danger by soaring into the sky, have many natural enemies. Such predators include the fox, as well as various birds of prey, which can easily spot a swan nest from a height. In other words, any species of predators that live within a given territory are natural enemies.

It is important to know! Wolves and bears pose a particular danger to both chicks and adult birds.

One species of turtle that lives in America also poses a danger to its chicks. Swans living in Australia are constantly attacked by the Dingo dog, which lives only on this continent.

Diet of young animals

The diet of young birds is slightly different from that of adult birds. A female with cubs needs more balanced and comprehensive feeding. Why? For development and growth, young swans need more nutrients. Otherwise, you can end up with a bird with poor feathers, weak, with developmental problems and unable to reproduce. What you can and cannot feed chicks directly depends on their age.

Approximate daily ration of a swan chick in grams:

Swan meat

Swans hunting is prohibited.

The birds are under state protection, and many hunters refuse to kill a swan also because of its extraordinary beauty and grace. Therefore, many doubt whether they eat swans. Swan meat is not only edible, but also very tasty and tender. Especially in young birds. Adults and older adults may have tougher meat fibers. In Rus', baked swans became a decoration for royal and boyar feasts, as well as weddings.

Fried swan - a royal dish

Some farms breed swans specifically for down and meat. Breeders note that the taste of meat largely depends on what to feed the bird.

So, if succulent and plant foods predominate in the diet, the meat turns out to be more dietary and less fatty. And if you add more fish, meat waste and other animal feed, the meat turns out to be fattier and higher in calories.

Swan recipes for delicious dishes

To properly salt minced meat (for those who don’t like to taste raw meat): take 1 kg. minced meat 2 level teaspoons of salt.

To make the minced meat juicy : add sugar. For 1 kg. minced meat about 1 teaspoon of sugar and your cutlets, meatballs, dumplings, and other minced meat dishes will always be surprisingly juicy. And for juiciness, be sure to add 1 tsp for the same weight of minced meat. with a heap of gelatin. Gelatin will not only keep your cutlets juicy, but will also enrich your body with collagen. And the value of this substance for the beauty and youth of the body is known to everyone.

To cook the beef faster : add 1 tablespoon of vodka to 2 liters of broth at the beginning of cooking, after boiling. And instead of the three to four hours required for cooking, you will need half as much time. I also found a very interesting option - adding banana peels when cooking meat. Try it, the meat turns out unusually aromatic, tasty and also cooks faster.

To help the beans cook faster : Some people recommend adding baking soda, but not everyone likes the soda taste. I use another method: when the water and beans boil, drain, add cold water and put on the fire again, bring to a boil. Repeat this process three times. After the third transfusion, we continue to cook until done. The beans will cook faster and taste better. Don’t forget that you need to salt the beans at the end of cooking, 20 minutes before the end.

To make a delicious stew : try adding a few cherry leaves when stewing - an extraordinary taste and aroma is guaranteed.

To prepare delicious fried liver : it is easier to cut the liver into portions when it is slightly frozen. After slicing, sprinkle the liver generously with baking soda and leave for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. Then rinse thoroughly under running water. You need to fry the liver for a short time, 2 - 3 minutes on each side, until the blood stops coming out. It is best to salt and pepper the liver in a frying pan while frying. After frying, add 2 - 3 tablespoons of milk to the pan with the liver and cover with a lid, leaving on the fire for 2 - 3 minutes until the milk evaporates. After such simple manipulations, you are guaranteed to receive a delicious and tender ready-made fried liver.