Cygnets (baby swans) can feed on their own 24 hours after hatching. However, it is the parent swans that are responsible for teaching the cygnets to find food, bathe, preen, recognize and escape predators and how to be a swan.

Because of predators, the parents main responsibility is to not only teach the swans, but protect them until the cygnets are large enough to defend themselves. Once the cygnets are approximately 6-8 months of age, the parents begin chasing them from the area prior to the next nesting season. The parents know at this time that they have taught the cygnets all that they need to know and the cygnets are now ready to go out into the world on their own, find a new mate and establish their own habitat for a future family. The Regal Swan