Side-by-side Comparison ~ Female Swan Back, Male Swan Front
Have you ever wondered whether you are looking at a male or female swan? I had often until I learned that the male’s black protuberance at the base of the bill swells during the breeding season. Very recently, I learned that the fleshy black knob has a name. So now rather than calling it a knob, nobble, thingamabob, or that black protuberance above the bill, I can say blackberry, and you can too. That really is an often used term in Europe, their native home. The blackberry is also unique to Mute Swans; no other species of swans has this feature.
I’ve posted this photo before however, it shows very well the different sizes of the male and female’s blackberries. Male, left; female, right.
Good Morning Gloucester 