The best thing that can be done for the young bird is to get him out of the area and turn him over to a wildlife rehabilitation center or try to find it another home. If you cannot, do any of this, please let us know and we will try to find it a home. There are two reasons that could be responsible for this bird being banished from the flock:

1. There is something wrong with it. The parents know when something is wrong with a cygnet and will remove it from the rest of the brood so that predators or illness do not endanger the rest of the brood. If this swan cannot keep up, it would mean that a predator could track it to the rest of the family and this is how nature prevents this from occuring. Better to lose one than the all of the family.

2. It may be a male. If it is the first hatched and is a male, it may have matured faster than the rest of the cygnets. Juvenile swans (7-12 months of age) are chased from the area by the parents. This age is when the feather's start turning white. The juveniles recognize their parents and siblings, but in a swan's world, white means competition and a new swan on the block. They may not or choose not to recognize the young male as their own and the male parent will chase the younger male from the habitat so that the little one does not try to compete with dad for food or mating rights. Yes, swans will inbreed.

So, the young swan is going to starve or become so stressed that it may develop a suppressed immune system which can lead to infection and eventual death from lack of nutrition, etc. The best option is to get it to a wildlife rehab center, raise it for a couple more months and then find it a good home.

Mute swans (swans with orange beaks) are not considered migratory and there are state and federal laws which give the Fish & Game Commissions the right to shoot a mute swan if they are found flying or establishing a feral population.

If it has a black beak it may be a Trumpeter or Tundra swan which are protected by state and federal laws. You may need to have a permit to help this species.

In any case, the swan's best plan for survival is to find it a new home so that it does not go into the wild if it is a mute swan. If it is another species, then you need to contact your local Fish & Game commission. The Regal Swan