Swans are pretty huge birds, and you wouldn’t want to be in their way when they are angry. But you’d need to know if the bird is angry in the first place.
This article explores how to tell if a swan is angry
Table of Contents
How to tell if a swan is angry:
Swans are known to be defensive birds rather than aggressive birds, this means that these birds will only bring out their aggressive side if they are provoked, but when they are provoked this is what an angry swan will do:
Neck curving backward:
This is a non-verbal way of communicating that the bird is angry and may attack you if you continue doing what you’re doing. The bird’s neck will extend upwards in attention and curve backward when it is angry
Hissing:
This is the next thing that an angry swan will do after the bird curves its neck backward, this is an easy and nonphysical way of telling you that you need to back off
Wing flapping:
Wing flapping is another way that these birds show that they are angry, these birds have pretty huge wingspans and the wing flapping generally works well to scare off anything that the bird is angry with.
The birds will flare their wings out as well as make themselves seem bigger.
Striking with their bills:
If the above ways of attack are not enough to scare you away then the bird will attack you with its bill. These birds don’t have sharp bills but they can use enough force when striking you with their bills to bruise you.
What causes swans to become angry?
Swans are generally relaxed animals, but they can become angry and what usually causes them to become angry is you coming close to their nest and eggs.
Both the mother and father swan play a role in raising their young, and if an intruder comes too close to their babies the parents will become angry and aggressive towards the intruder.
These birds are quite fierce when it comes to defending their territory and will do all they can to keep their family safe.
What to do around an angry swan:
Swans are not afraid of humans and will attack us if they feel the need to. If you find yourself being attacked by a swan then you’d need to make yourself appear bigger and scarier than you are and then back away.
You can make yourself look bigger than you are by extending your arms above your head, hissing at the swan as it hisses at you, and taking short but heavy steps toward the bird
You can then back away from the bird moving backward while still facing its direction.
The swan may be angry at you because you are too close to the nest, when fleeing the scene, so, make sure you don’t go any nearer to the nest as this will make the bird even angrier.
Avoid running away from the bird, this signals to the bird that you are a threat and the bird will get even angrier.
If the bird bites you or injures you during the attack then you’d need to quickly get medical attention.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other duck related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Do Swans Recognize Humans?, Can You Pet A Swan?, How Do Swans Show Affection To Humans?, How Do Swans Hug?, Do Swans Die When Their Mate Dies?, Can Swans Hurt Dogs?