Valentine's Day ignored by Lincoln's 'warring' swans

Laetitia Marechal, 41, from the swan project, said the birds' territorial nature is central to their behaviour.

“The swans often fluff their feathers to appear bigger and flap their wings," she said. "Normally this is just for show but sometimes it is not.

“Territorial behaviour can escalate and the swans do fight each other,” said Ms Marechal.

Ruffling feathers

The birds are caught each year as part of the project and tagged with a yellow ring on their ankles to track them.

The team also uses an online form, which members of the public can fill out.

“Using the form, we can regularly record where the swans have been seen to understand their movement," Ms Marechal said.

"Some swans that were born in Lincoln were then spotted, using the form, in Yorkshire,” she added.

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