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Swan body language

Environmentalist
03/03/2022 14:04

Tho' this Fb post has a serious message, the swans do look funny waddling in front of Swan Support co-ordinator. At about 1.34 mins in, the lead swan wags its tail- is it pleased to see the river or its mates, or does tail wagging have another meaning in swan language?   https://www.facebook.com/SwanSupportCharity/videos/473006470920387 

  • 0 03/03/2022 14:51

    Usually swans will wag there tail when they like something or when happy or exited.

    for example if I feed a swan some food and then it keeps wagging its tail every time I throw food in it’s cause it likes it and wants more 

    another example is sometimes when a swan is happy and relaxed and swimming along. if it’s  haveimg a drink and starts wagging it’s tail every time it Has a drink and swallows it it’s cause it’s enjoying it. swans tend to wag there tail when there happy exited or relaxed.  the and When I watched the video he started wagging his tail when he got to the top of the stairs and then the other swan behind it did aswell when the co ordinator said come on come on so he’s probably happy and exited  

  • 0 05/03/2022 15:38
    Thank you Zoe. I had a feeling it was happiness but wasn't sure if I was humanising them :).
  • 0 05/03/2022 19:29
    It looks to me like an adult male and two immatures, over whom he gets a bit protective (or proprietorial?) when the camera operator comes too close. I agree that the tail wag may be a sign of heightened emotion, but not sure he’s particularly happy. It could mean he’s not happy at being followed around by the person with the funny box; equally it could be a “follow me” signal to the others.
  • 0 05/03/2022 19:55

    Swans usually wag tails when they like something when there happy or when there exited or simply enjoying themselfs or relaxed. And I tail wagging is normally positive body language rather than threatened body language

    They  defiantly didn’t like being pushed around and they  looked uncomfortable when that was happening but that isn’t linked to tail wagging cause tail wagging is normally positive body language. Not threatened body language. he wagged his tail when he got to the top of the steps. when he wasn’t being pushed around anymore things calmed down after and  then they were on there way to the water. They were likely glad  they weren’t being pushed around anymore and it’s not far to go to the water. 

  • 0 04/02/2023 20:53
    While I agree that "happiness" is definitely a factor, from my observations of the Swans at Poole Park over the last 6 years or so, I also think their dominance/submission thing is a factor too.
    If you see an aggressive/dominant swan attack another swan (it could also be another bird species or even a human), when the "victim" swims/flys/moves away the dominant swan will wag their tail. They are "happy" and they also won.
    But if you watch the losing swans, they also wag their tails, just after being attacked, chased etc and they tend to do it right in front of the aggressor, so I suppose they could be happy that they haven't been killed or seriously injured, but to me it looks like something more than that.
    The other thing which is very obvious/visible at Poole Park is a kind of heirarchy. We have 2 dominant mating pairs that basically share the lakes/ponds between themselves. The herd which tend to number around 20 spend their days trying to avoid the dominant pairs on the main lake. It's strange to watch/see. 1 swan chasing off as many swans as there are in front of them and the herd always runs, so that also suggests the dominance/submissive angle.
    It doesn't matter how aggressive 1 swan is if "10" turn round and all attack it simultaneously, but the "10" never do/try that. They always run. So they can't see themselves as equals.
    So yes, to summarize, I think happiness is a factor, but it also seems to be part of their communucation to maintain their social order too.