Descriptive Essay
by
Fe Briones
THE BIRD I LOVE
One of my favorite birds is swan. This is the one I love most. Just merely observing them, listening to their sounds makes me feel relax. I like taming them and playing with them. I love carrying them in my arms, though sometimes their sharp beak hurts my arms. I love combing their feathers with my fingers. I remember when I was nine years old and my father had given me a pair of young white swan, a male and a female from a distant relative. I literally stolen an old, big basin from my grandparents house and make it a little pool for my pet. I usually slept in our abaca cradle during lunch break, now, no longer alone but with one of my pets while the other will be sleeping under the cradle. When the female started laying eggs, I was so happy. My two swans will become many. But, this does not happen. After laying five eggs, the female swan died. According to my father, it was bitten by a snake. I was so sad I cried for its death.
Swan is a large water bird that belongs to the family Anatidaetogether with geese and ducks. Swans are larger than geese and ducks, and they are easily recognized by their very long necks. Some swans arch their necks in a graceful curve, while others carry their necks upright. Most swans have pure white feathers, but two species that live in the southern hemisphere are completely or partially black. Male and female adult swans look alike. The male swan is called a cob, the female is a pen, and baby swans are cygnets.
Swans are the largest waterfowl. The largest swan in the world is the trumpeter swan of North America. It measures as long as 1.8 m (72 in), has a wingspan as great as 2.5 m (8.2 ft), and weighs up to 16 kg (35 lbs). The smallest swan is the coscoroba swan of South America, though it is hardly a small bird, measuring about 1 m (40 in) in length. Some experts believe this bird is more closely related to geese.
Many swans have loud, boisterous calls. The trumpeter swan, for example, is named for its bugle-like call, which carries a long distance. The whistling swan (known in North America as the tundra swan) has a whistle-like call. The coscoroba swan produces a loud call that sounds like “cos-cor-ooo.” The mute swan is an exception, although it is not entirely silent as the name implies. However, it is far quieter than other swans.
Swans spend much of their time swimming in ponds, lakes, coastal bays, and rivers, and they are noted for their graceful movement. But, domesticated swan can be trained living longer on land rather on water. Our house is far from any body of water. I just made an improvised pond out of an old large basin which served as pool for my pet swans. Although they fly well, they need a large stretch of water for takeoff. To become airborne, swans patter along the top of the water, flapping their wings, until they gain sufficient speed for takeoff..
Swans feed both in water and on land, and their diet consists mainly of plants. Their long necks enable them to feed underwater without diving. They reach underwater and pull up stems, leaves, and roots with their large bills. The young sometimes eat insects and small water invertebrates. The necks and faces of white swans may become stained as the result of iron or other minerals in the water they feed in. But my pet swans instead are feed with palay, corn and other grains. I am also giving them left-over rice. They are healthy, in fact left-over rice is their favorite.
There are three species of swan I know, the trumpeter swan, the mute swan, and the tundra swan. The largest swan in the world is the trumpeter swan. This pure white swan has a black bill. Its neck is nearly twice as long as its body, helping the swan produces its loud, resonant trumpeting call. Trumpeters attack intruders, including dogs and children.
The tundra swan is the North American variant of the whistling swan, named for the whistling sound it makes. This all-white swan with a black bill resembles the trumpeter swan, although it is smaller than the trumpeter.
The mute swan also has pure white feathers. Its orange bill has a black knob at the base. The swan is native to Asia but today is commonly found in lakes in urban parks. It is the tamest of the swans and the least fearful near human habitation. This specie is also my favorite. I have four mute swan in my back yard. One male, a four year old Kintaro, his name; and three females.Kakita is four year old; Lara, six months old and Precious, the sister of Lara, also six months old.
My first pets were trumpeter. But according to my father, these were products of cross-breed between tundra and trumpeter that’s why they were no longer very big.
Work Cited:
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation/swan
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