TY - CHAP

T1 - Spring feeding of three species of swans in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland

AU - Kouzov, S.A.

AU - Kravchuk, A.V.

AU - Zaynagutdinova, E.M.

AU - Gubelit, Yu.I.

AU - Koptseva, E.M.

N1 - Conference code: 7

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - A total of 87 Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) faecal samples, 77 Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewickii)samples and 72 Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) samples were analyzed. The materials werecollected in 2014-2019, during observations of spring migration sites on the southern shore ofthe eastern part of the Gulf of Finland (from the Neva Bay to the Kurgalsky Peninsula). The MuteSwan diet consisted mostly of soft plant food, particularly green macroalgae, and there was alsoa significant proportion of diatoms found in the droppings. Other groups of macroalgae, stemsof pondweeds and thin root papillae of aquatic vascular plants were present in small quantities.In contrast, diatoms were found in an extremely small proportion of the faecal samplescollected for the other swan species. The diet of these species consisted mainly of coarse forage,such as rhizomes, and seedlings of Phragmites australis and Bolboschoenus maritimus, as well assedges and Juncus sp. The remains of thick reed rhizomes were found only in the Whooper Swansamples, whereas the remains of reed seedlings were more common in the Bewick's Swans’faeces. Seasonal variation in the diet was described. Following arrival at the end of February tothe first half of March, all species feed on the remains of Сladophora sp. from the previoussummer, which overwintered on the bottom in the form of algae mats. From late March to thefirst half of April, reed root papillae and diatoms appear in the Mute Swan diet, and theWhooper and Bewick's Swans feed on rhizomes and seedlings of reeds and other semisubmerged plants. Young growth of Stuckenia pectinata, Zannichellia palustris and othersubmerged vegetation are consumed by all species, mainly in the second half of April — earlyMay.

AB - A total of 87 Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) faecal samples, 77 Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewickii)samples and 72 Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) samples were analyzed. The materials werecollected in 2014-2019, during observations of spring migration sites on the southern shore ofthe eastern part of the Gulf of Finland (from the Neva Bay to the Kurgalsky Peninsula). The MuteSwan diet consisted mostly of soft plant food, particularly green macroalgae, and there was alsoa significant proportion of diatoms found in the droppings. Other groups of macroalgae, stemsof pondweeds and thin root papillae of aquatic vascular plants were present in small quantities.In contrast, diatoms were found in an extremely small proportion of the faecal samplescollected for the other swan species. The diet of these species consisted mainly of coarse forage,such as rhizomes, and seedlings of Phragmites australis and Bolboschoenus maritimus, as well assedges and Juncus sp. The remains of thick reed rhizomes were found only in the Whooper Swansamples, whereas the remains of reed seedlings were more common in the Bewick's Swans’faeces. Seasonal variation in the diet was described. Following arrival at the end of February tothe first half of March, all species feed on the remains of Сladophora sp. from the previoussummer, which overwintered on the bottom in the form of algae mats. From late March to thefirst half of April, reed root papillae and diatoms appear in the Mute Swan diet, and theWhooper and Bewick's Swans feed on rhizomes and seedlings of reeds and other semisubmerged plants. Young growth of Stuckenia pectinata, Zannichellia palustris and othersubmerged vegetation are consumed by all species, mainly in the second half of April — earlyMay.

M3 - Conference abstracts

BT - 7th International Swan Symposium & 26th Trumpeter Swan Society Swan Conference

CY - Jackson

T2 - 7th International Swan Symposium & 26th Trumpeter Swan Society Swan Conference

Y2 - 23 October 2022 through 27 October 2022

ER -