The swans are the largest of the waterfowl group and contain the fewest number of species. Swans feed either in shallow water or on land on green vegetation and grains. All species have long necks for reaching aquatic plants underwater and powerful legs for swimming. Males and females have similar plumages. Both sexes take turns incubating the eggs and share equally in rearing the young. Swans, like geese, can be divided into two groups, the northern swans and the southern swans.

The Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy is the only captive waterfowl sanctuary in North America, and perhaps in the world, that has all eight species of swans.

The northern swans include all the swans found in the northern hemisphere. All species included in this group have all-white plumage. Young birds that have not reached breeding age are often light gray in color. Most northern swans are migratory and travel great distances between breeding and wintering grounds. The LRWC keeps all of the northern swans, including:

The southern swans are typically non-migratory, and interestingly, all have black markings in the plumage. Two species are South American, while one is Australian. The LRWC keeps all the southern swans, which includes: