ChatterBank1 min ago
Swans
3 Answers
How are swans so white when they swim in dirty water?
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No best answer has yet been selected by sbirtwell1. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Like other birds, swans clean themselves very frequently, using oil from a gland above their tails. In waterbirds this gland is extra large. As 5029 says, the oil makes the feathers waterproof, so the water does not actually touch the feathers themselves.
In fact if you look carefully, you'll see that their necks (which spend more time under the water) are usually slightly yellowish.