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April 11, 2010
The One-Legged Swan at the Broadmoor
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So we were down at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs today and they have a few swans on the lake there on the hotel grounds. The odd thing was that one of the swans appeared to have a leg growing out of the middle of his back. And when the swan swam, he was clearly swimming with only one foot. Like, he moved in the water in a series of discrete surges, as opposed to the way a duck would move by paddling both feet. He was clearly swimming with only one foot, which made me think about the age-old-addage of "does a 1-legged duck swim in circles?" Well, apparently not. For a swan, anyway, they seem to be able to swim in a straight line fairly well with only 1 foot.
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So, we shot some photos of this, as it looked clearly deformed. What with a foot growing out of the middle of his back and all. He even moved it somewhat when he tried to swim. Very odd looking.
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And then, I find this post which indicates that swans often swim with only one foot in the water and the other tucked under their wings, possibly to stay warm.
"It is normal for swans to swim with one leg tucked onto their back. People are often concerned that the leg is broken or deformed but the swan is perfectly fine."
"Swans will often stretch one of their legs whilst swimming and instead of putting it in the water, they will tuck it up onto their back."
"It has been suggested that this behaviour may play a role in helping to regulate the body temperature of the bird. The legs and feet are the only part of the swan not covered in feathers so the blood vessels are in closer contact with the air. The large surface area of the webbed foot makes it easier for heat to be transferred from the body to the air, cooling the swan. This heat exchange could also work the other way, with the feet absorbing heat from the air to warm the bird."
Posted by Rob Kiser on April 11, 2010 at 10:08 PM
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