Loyalty to a partner is inherent not only in swans, but also in other anseriformes. But it is about swan pairs that people talk with special trepidation, admiring their sensitive attitude towards each other.
The expression "swan fidelity" is often used when talking about devoted love to one partner. They say this because swans create strong families, once and for life. Beautiful birds can live up to 100 years.
Having chosen a life partner, the swans take care of him, help in everything. The male loyally cares for the female, protecting her from other swans and danger. The birds share the care of the offspring together and get food.
Many legends have been written about the loyalty of swans to each other, poems and songs have been written. Scientists have believed for many years that beautiful white birds do not have betrayals. Recently, European ornithologists have been trying to prove the opposite, but the research has not yet been completed.
Long years of observations confirm the strong emotional attachment of swan pairs to each other. If one of them falls ill, the other takes care of the parterre until he recovers, denying himself food and rest.
The death of a spouse leaves the surviving swan in a state of severe shock. He yearns and loses the will to live. People have often watched swans commit suicide after losing their mate.
If a swan experiences a partner for a long time, his fate is very sad. He is not able to create a new pair, so he just slowly dies of melancholy alone. Such birds never return to the flock. Monogamy is still considered the norm for swans, despite controversy and frustration among scientists.
There are only a few people who are able to maintain such devotion and love to one person all their lives. Loyalty among long-married human couples is so rare that legends can also be made about it.
Modern culture encourages divorce and polygamy. The word "love" often becomes synonymous with sex, losing its true meaning. Few couples are truly loving. The tenderness and care that they give to each other can be seen from afar.
Such a family is the dream of many people in the world, but it is not easy to create it. This requires letting go of self-centeredness and understanding and forgiving the grievances that are inevitable in marriage. Only patience and work can maintain love. This is what couples who have lived to see the golden wedding talk about.
A person should sometimes learn from amazing white birds to pay attention to his beloved and take care of him. Maybe then the expression "swan fidelity" will sound more often not only in stories about swans, but also in relation to people.
