There are two possibilities. One, the swans are still young and have absolutely no idea how to mate and are just practicing. Some swan experts believe that a swan becomes an adult at 3 years of age and then the swans are starting to show interest in mating. However, in our research, we have seen swans practicing mating at 1 year of age and able to produce an egg at 2 years of age. So, the ability or interest in mating may be an individual attribute.

Your swans may just be too young. Or, they are both the same gender. Have you had them DNA Sequenced for gender? Otherwise, until they reach full maturity and you actually see the mating and the knob becomes more prominent on the male, will you can be sure of the gender. At a young age, if the swans are probed to check for gender, the technique is not very reliable as the sexual organs are not developed at a young age and the absence of the penile node or penis may erroneously be taken that the swan is a female. However, in reality, the organs are not deveoped and at a more mature age, the bird turns out to be a male.

As far as thirst, she may be dehydrated. If the other swan is preventing her from drinking, eating or bathing by keeping her from entering or exiting the water, she may be nutritionally and water deprived. The swan may find it easier to stay away from the other bird if it is not wanting to mate or avoid being chased around the pond. If the need for constant water continues, you probably need to get the swan to a veterinarian to ensure that it does not have an infection and thus running a high temperature which could possibly lead to the need for constant drinking and trying to control the body temperature. The Regal Swan