Mute Swan

A snowy white body feather from the Mute Swan, one of the world's heaviest flying birds known for its elegant S-curved neck and orange bill with a black knob.

Pure, brilliant white throughout including the shaft; absence of melanin-based pigmentation.

Plumulaceous (downy) at the base transition to a loose pennaceous structure at the tip; soft and not tightly interlocked.

Soft, silky, and slightly velvety; has water-repellent (hydrophobic) properties typical of waterfowl.

Pure white color, soft texture, small to medium size, and extreme curvature often seen in body feathers of large waterfowl.

Found in both freshwater and brackish habitats including lakes, ponds, slow-moving rivers, and coastal estuaries in Cornwall.

Native to much of Eurasia; widely resident in the United Kingdom, including year-round presence in Cornwall.

Large herbivore that grazes on aquatic vegetation; can act as an ecosystem engineer by affecting macrophyte density.

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) or Bewick's Swan; feathers are nearly identical but these species are usually winter visitors rather than year-round residents.

Mute Swans are famous for their supposed 'swan song' and for being the property of the Crown in certain parts of the UK historically.

Good; shows some slight fraying at the edges consistent with natural molting and environmental exposure.

Cornwall