Whooper swans Jan 14, 2024

Whooper swans

An elegant creature for a majestic setting. These all-white birds with yellow-and-black bills, gliding on the mirror of Lake Kussharo in Japan, are whooper swans—the Eurasian equivalent to the North American trumpeter swans. Named for their loud "whooping" call, these beauties, with a wingspan between 2 to 3 metres, are one of the world"s heaviest birds that can fly. While whooper swans are Finland"s national bird, they only spend their breeding season there. Those swans, as well as others in various northern areas migrate to warmer, often coastal areas when cold weather sets in. All that travel doesn"t ruin their relationships—these waterfowl form strong, monogamous pairs that can last for life.

© Darrell Gulin/DanitaDelimont.com

palette

Today in History

Paint the sky with colours
Jan 14, 2025Makar Sankranti
Jan 14, 2026Fortress of Palamidi, Nafplio, Greece

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 8, 2026Corfu at night, Greece
Oct 16, 2023Golden larches and Prusik Peak, Enchantments, Washington
The last living fort in India
Sep 22, 2023World Rhinoceros Day
A bevy of buzzers
Where did you drop the fish, son?
A convocation of eagles assembles
Jun 1, 2025World Reef Awareness Day
Babbling on and on
Sep 28, 2023Container ship near a port in Thailand
Aug 31, 2023Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
Nov 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Apr 6, 2025Dolphins near Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal
May 6, 2024The Roaches ridge in the Peak District, England
This island is more than a mile high
Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Jan 5, 2025Pushkarni, Sri Krishna Temple, Hampi, Karnataka
Dec 31, 2023New Years Eve!
Jul 16, 2024A hammock in Central Florida, USA
Apr 24, 2024The white trilliums in Ontario, Canada
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
A time-worn medieval marvel
Dec 23, 2024Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
May 1, 2025Maharashtra Day
Jan 11, 2025Heri es-Swani in Meknes, Morocco
May 23, 2025World Turtle Day
A day for cousins of every stripe
Mar 31, 2025Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
Republic Day
Our forgotten forests