Swans usually mate for life, but this depends on the individual swan, species and the successfulness of hatching and raising a brood.

Swans that have lost their mates may or may not re-pair. Males can re-pair, but usually will spend the rest of their lives alone if something happens to their mate. Females usually will re-pair once their mate dies. However, the major issues are age and individual attributes which also determine if a new mate will be taken.

A lone swan does not necessarily mean that it does not have a mate. The lone swan could be searching for a better habitat for its own family or the flock should there be a loss of food resources, the presence of predators, etc. Also, especially during the migratory season, the young juveniles are trying to find a mate because the juveniles will be chased from their parent’s habitat. So, you may be seeing a flock of juveniles trying to find their own territory.

Yes, we believe that swans as well as many animals do grieve. However, their grief is different than humans. Whereas humans can grieve for many weeks, months and even years, this length of grieving would be detrimental not only to the individual member, but the entire flock. The major responsibility of animals and birds is to reproduce so that the species continues for perpetuity. To grieve for a long period of time, means that the individual bird is susceptible to starvation, predation, or stress leading to illness or even death. This would be extremely detrimental to future reproduction for the flock. The Regal Swan