The mute swan is a symbol of beauty and elegance, thanks in no small part to the beloved fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling," about an awkward and unsightly duckling who upon growing up discovers he is actually a swan. The proverbial story is often used as a lesson in transformation and the relative nature of beauty. One glance at this swan, seen here holding a feather in a nature preserve in the Netherlands, and it"s easy to see how the idiom "graceful as a swan" came about.
Mute swan
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Illuminating Annecy
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National Public Lands Day
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Bluebells in Hertfordshire, England
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Happy Mother s Day
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A cliffside harbor in Sardinia
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Atrani, Amalfi Coast, Italy
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Red fox
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Ocean City, Maryland, at sunrise
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Borovets ski resort in Bulgaria
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The ruins of a Maya superpower
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Sami lavvu structures, Finnmark, Norway
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Halfway Day
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Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
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East River crossing
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Mountain hare hopping into Lunar New Year
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Perfect timing
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It s not always sunny in Abu Simbel…
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Sea fireflies at the seashore
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Avalanche Lake Trail at Adirondack High Peaks, New York
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Breckenridge, Colorado
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Hezké svátky
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Southern right whales sail home to South Africa
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Point Reyes National Seashore, California
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It’s Giving Tuesday
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Installation art turns heads
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Last stop before leaving the solar system
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National Park Week continues
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Nomads of the Gobi
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Endangered Species Day
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A tale of almonds and bees
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

