Why bother flying when I can just go windsurfing?

WITH their long necks and pristine plumage, swans have long been a byword for grace and elegance.

However, it seems ingenuity can now be added to that list, with some birds swapping flying for “windsurfing”.

Mute swans have been seen sitting on lakes, putting up a wing like a sail and then being blown hundreds of yards across the water.

The magnificent birds have been spotted letting the breeze take the strain at three locations in Sweden over the past 17 years, expert Olle Terenius has revealed in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

His footage shows swans sailing along on windy days at 5ft a second, around 3.5mph.

Swans may look graceful on water but they weigh up to 26lb and have a lumbering take-off and heavy flight.

But Olle said windsurfing lets them cover long distances quickly, with minimal effort.

“The behaviour is probably a way to save energy,” he said.