Threats: Mute Swans have been devastating to freshwater SAV communities in the United States. The plumage is white. Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo again vetoed a bill to protect the state’s mute swans by curbing population growth. Negative Effects on Ecosystem Mute Swans feed on large quantities of “submerged aquatic vegetation” or “SAV" (also known as sea grass). Thank you! reduction of aquatic macrophytes by mute swans are limited (Hindman and Harvey 2004). Aggressive Mute Swans can pose a threat to public safety — reports document that the birds have broken people's arms and legs. Mute swans are one of the world's most aggressive waterfowl species, especially during nesting season. Mute swans are known for their large appetites and all year round presence, which causes severe reductions in aquatic vegetation. They are best distinguished from North American swans by the knob at the base of the upper bill, and the color of the bill itself, which is orange, with the tip and base colored black. Mute Swans are beautiful, elegant creatures with a nasty, aggressive behavior. Mute swan families typically stay close to their nesting area and separate from other broods and non-breeding swans for the first couple of months after hatching. The two sexes are alike in appearance, except that males are generally larger than females. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Wetland loss in North America has been considerable and well documented, and the establishment of exotic species in remaining wetlands can further reduce their ability to support native flora and fauna. Therefore an estimated 13kg of SAV per day are removed by a single mute swan. Our research was designed to answer 3 questions: 1) Does herbivory by mute swans result in reduced percent cover, density, and height of SAV? When mute swans remove these plants, they can negatively alter the entire wetland ecosystem. Territorial Behavior and Boundaries of the Mute Swans in the Western Pond This topic submitted by Robin McKerrell, Matt Huelsenbeck, Rick Dsida (Mckerrrb@miamioh.edu ) on 10/6/04 . swan, the mute swan population must be drastically reduced. In addition to the mute swan's aggressive nature, they are also voracious feeders on the Chesapeake's wild grass beds, which is known by scientists to be "submerged aquatic vegetation" or "SAV". When the female is incubating her nest, the male swan will hiss at and attack anything that gets too close. There are records of them knocking boaters off of jet skis. Threats: Mute Swans have been devastating to freshwater SAV communities in the United States. The timeline runs from the … A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text.