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 are able to 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

Jan 14, 2025Village of Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz, Spain
Jan 14, 2026Fortress of Palamidi, Nafplio, Greece

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 13, 2025Gran Paradiso National Park, Piedmont, Italy
Mar 17, 2026Grianan of Aileach ring fort, Donegal, Ireland
Feb 13, 2026Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand
Jul 13, 2024Fairy chimneys and cave dwellings in Cappadocia, Türkiye
Oct 12, 2025Saranac Lake, New York
Dec 28, 2023Humpback whale
May 6, 2024Heidelberg on the river Neckar, Germany
Dec 11, 2023Huangshan Mountains, China
Oct 29, 2023Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Nov 23, 2024Spiral aloe, Kangaroo Island, Australia
Jan 13, 2026Vale of Clwyd, Wales
Nov 1, 2025Bison, Yellowstone National Park
Jan 19, 2026Abraham Lake, Alberta, Canada
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
Jan 8, 2024Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
Nov 15, 2024Chiang Mai, Thailand
Dec 15, 2025Spiegelgracht canal in Amsterdam
Feb 12, 2024Galápagos tortoise
Apr 15, 2024Château de Chambord, France
Jun 15, 2025Lesser rheas, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
Jul 7, 2024Rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái province, Vietnam
Dec 2, 2023Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
Apr 10, 2025Red fox cubs near their den
Feb 7, 2024St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Sept 10, 2026Aerial view of Olvera, Andalusia, Spain
Jan 15, 2025Pointe du Diable, Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island
Dec 26, 2023Dedham, Colchester, England
Sep 25, 2024Giant sequoias, Sequoia National Park, California, USA
Aug 6, 2024Molokini crater, Maui, Hawaii, USA