Most swans will mate for life, but not always. Also, once the female dies, the male may live its life alone. A female losing its mate on the other hand, may take a new mate. This is totally an individual and species attribute.

There are several issues in this case that need to be considered.

First, do you know what caused the death of the female swan? To not know this, only places the male and a new swan in possible danger of dying from the same thing.

Second, do you need a permit to introduce a new swan onto the pond? In many states, the laws have changed about the possession of mute swans and you may need a state permit. You will need to contact your local wildlife authorities to determine if you need a permit and how to go about procuring one.

Third, do you have someone who can build a pen (enclosed top to bottom, 1/2 on land and 1/2 in the water, with feeder inside) to house the new swan for approximately 2 weeks. Is there someone who can watch the new swan, clean and replace food in the feeder for this amount of time? The swan must be placed in the pen to ensure that it can be introduced to the habitat, learn its perimeters and get to know the male swan. Otherwise, the male may try to kill the new swan or continually chase the swan from the pond which can stress the swan which can lead to injury, illness or death.

Fourth, are you absolutely sure that the male is a male swan and that the owner did not place two females or two males on the pond to ensure that no cygnets resulted? You need to have the remaining swan sexed to ensure that you get an opposite gendered swan or a battle could ensue in which both swans are seriously injured or killed.

Fifth, to introduce an opposite gendered swan to the pond, you may need a permit not only for possession of the mute swans, but also a breeder's license from your state for any cygnets that may be produced.

Sixth, do you have veterinary resources to care for the cygnets? At 1-3 weeks of age, they must pinioned (rendered unable to fly), and then vaccinated against botulism every 6 weeks for approximately 4 months of age. If you do you not have an experienced waterfowl/avian veterinarian in your area, you may have difficulty in finding a veterinarian that will care for the cygnets. Once the cygnets are 8-10 months of age, they will need to be placed in a new home as the parents will chase them and possibly injure them just as they would new swans being introduced to the pond.

If you can positively answer all of the above questions, then a new swan may be introduced to the pond. If you cannot answer any of the questions positively, we would suggest that you leave the male swan by himself as he will do just fine as long as he is fed and watched after. The Regal Swan