The mute swan is a symbol of beauty and elegance, thanks in no small part to the beloved fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling," about an awkward and unsightly duckling who upon growing up discovers he is actually a swan. The proverbial story is often used as a lesson in transformation and the relative nature of beauty. One glance at this swan, seen here holding a feather in a nature preserve in the Netherlands, and it"s easy to see how the idiom "graceful as a swan" came about.
Mute swan
Today in History
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Vote!
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Tough turf
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The borrowed days are here
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National Mountain Climbing Day
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Colorful cows of the reef
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Seonam Temple, South Korea
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Castelmezzano, Italy
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Find a Rainbow Day
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Friendship Day in the City of Brotherly Love
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Bluebells in Hertfordshire, England
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White Desert National Park, Egypt
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Innerdalsvatna Lake, near Ålvundeidet, Norway
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Celebrating Panama s independence
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‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’
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Happy Boxing Day!
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Wild and beautiful Alaska
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Frost on autumn leaves
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Mother s Day
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Autumn in the Prosecco Hills
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Darwin s Arch
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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
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Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
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American goldfinch
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Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
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Happy Star Wars Day!
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Welcome to the Ring of Fire
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Sailing across the ice
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Beech trees and wild anemones, Jutland, Denmark
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Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
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Rethymno, Crete, Greece