The biggest wild bird found in the British Isles is not, as commonly thought, the mute swan. The bird with the biggest wing span is the sea eagle (over 8 feet - 244cm), the tallest is the common crane (100-130cm), and potentially the heaviest is the great bustard (up to 21kg). The latter is a large "game" bird that formerly flourished on downlands and parts of eastern England until it was shot to extinction in 1832. In recent years a re-introduced population sourced from European birds has been established on Salisbury Plain and there are hopes they can be established elsewhere. The mute swan is, however, the biggest commonly seen British wild bird. The swan in the photograph is an adult (four or more years old) and probably a male judging by the size of the "blackberry" on its beak. There are three kinds of swan regularly seen in Britain - the mute swan, the whooper swan and the Bewick's swan. Since my recent relocation to Herefordshire I have yet to see the latter two, but mute swans abound on the River Wye.
photos © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
