Swans in winter: should we take care of them and feed them?

The Miory District Inspectorate of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection receives calls from concerned residents of the city, who are worried about the fate of swans, ducks, and other birds living on urban water bodies on the eve of winter. This situation repeats itself year after year.

Every year, various species of birds, including waterfowl, including swans, remain for wintering in the city of Miory and the Miory district. Often they settle closer to people, inhabiting parks, squares, and water bodies near settlements.

For feathered birds in winter, hunger is more frightening than cold. As long as they can find food themselves, frosts are not scary for them. A hungry bird is unable to keep warm and therefore freezes. The colder it is outside, the more heat it loses and the more food it needs.

However, one must always remember about proper interaction with feathered friends so as not to harm them!

Very often, one can see people near water bodies feeding ducks and swans. Many believe they are doing a good deed. However, this is a misconception.

Swans are very trusting birds. They quickly get used to people. Therefore, birds that settle near settlements become hostages of excessive human care and often suffer from it. In their natural habitat, it is better not to feed swans at all. They get used to "bread-winning places" and do not want to find food for themselves. And with the onset of cold weather, the birds suffer, cannot orient themselves and fly away in search of unfrozen water bodies. As a result, they start to get sick and can die.

People, by helping with food, do swans a "disservice".

Waterfowl should only be fed to save them during extreme wintering periods.

Swans are capable of safely enduring temperatures down to -15 degrees Celsius for a long time.

Birds sitting motionless on the ice with their legs tucked under them are thus conserving heat while waiting out the frost.

And the best "bed" for waterfowl is to doze quietly on the water.

Fat reserves are a natural insulator that helps a bird withstand low temperatures and swim in cold water. Fat reserves solve the "food" problem: a bird can use accumulated fat to compensate for a lack of nutrition.

Swans tolerate cold well and can sit still for a long time. They don't need to shift from foot to foot or pace to keep warm. If a bird is sitting on ice or on the shore with its legs tucked underneath, it is simply conserving energy. Swans have a minimum number of nerve endings in their legs. It may seem from the outside that the bird is freezing. However, there is no need to worry; this is its usual behavior in sub-zero temperatures.

As soon as frost covers the body of water, citizens begin to worry and believe that it is necessary to break the ice and ensure that the birds have an unfrozen area. However, one should not interfere with natural processes. The bird itself understands that the water is freezing and will find another suitable place to overwinter.

In addition, some citizens become concerned when a swan flaps its wings but does not take off. However, flapping wings does not always mean the bird is about to take off. Swans simply stretch their wings this way. They can take off equally successfully from water or from ice; the acceleration strip is not important for the bird.

Human assistance is definitely needed if the bird shows clear signs of injury or damage (plucked feathers, blood, a drooping wing), as well as if the swan is lying on the ice with its head tucked under its wing and its plumage is covered with a crust of ice or icicles. This means the bird is sick and needs to be kept warm and examined. If fishing line is stuck in the bird's beak, do not cut it. A weight or hook may be attached to the fishing line. If the fishing line is cut, it will be impossible to remove it. It is best to entrust assistance to a veterinarian in this case.

In winter, swans feed mainly on the underwater parts of plants, which are abundant in their overwintering grounds. This is their natural diet, which should not be replaced with kilograms of bread. Everything is thought out in nature. If the bodies of water are not completely covered with ice, swans and ducks do not need artificial feeding.

Feeding waterfowl with bread causes them to simply adapt, become lazy, and fill their stomachs with baked goods, experiencing a false sense of fullness. In this case, the birds receive a "ticking time bomb" without having enough energy.

Due to human ignorance, birds eventually die and have short lifespans. Sometimes a bird bloated with baked goods and chips can die immediately. The birds' bodies cannot process baked goods, salt, and spices without consequences.

Bakery products disrupt the entire life cycle of wintering birds. The gastrointestinal microflora is destroyed, metabolism is disrupted, and kidney diseases develop. Hard food, such as crackers, injures the walls of the digestive system and then negatively affects the bird's overall condition. Black bread is particularly poorly digested and can cause gastrointestinal diseases in birds. Moldy or sour bread is also contraindicated for swans!

Do not feed birds spoiled food – it is as deadly for them as it is for humans!

Swans should be fed only when they cannot obtain natural food, or when it is very difficult for them to do so. That is, with the onset of sub-zero temperatures. This can occur with a sharp drop in air temperature to -15 degrees Celsius and below.

In cold weather, it is best to feed swans raw or lightly boiled chopped vegetables with oatmeal, and sprouted grains: oats, barley, wheat. In frost, a mixture of grains or feed without salt will be an ideal supplement. White bread is permissible in the absence of other food, but in very small quantities!

A swan's digestive system is designed such that it must wash down its food. Therefore, whenever possible, food should be thrown into the water or onto the bank at the water's edge.

Remember! A healthy bird obtains its own food independently. If there is no food, a swan will change its watering place.

If you truly want to help feathered friends, look around: tits, blue tits, sparrows, bullfinches, greenfinches… Small passerine birds are the ones who really need help in sub-zero temperatures! The thermoregulation system in birds is arranged in such a way that if there is no food, it functions poorly, which is why many birds die on frosty nights when their tiny bodies cannot warm up and freeze.

These bird species come to feeders, but (unlike waterfowl) they do not become completely dependent on supplementary feeding. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds (unroasted and unsalted!), lard (unsalted, without spices and seasonings), millet, wheat, oats, rowan berries, and apple pieces will not harm the birds and will help them survive the cold.

It is important to treat nature and its inhabitants with care and thoughtfulness! And remember! What we consider right and useful is not always so!