# Can swans take off from dry land?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-swans-take-off-from-dry-land/787534>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 27, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-swans-take-off-from-dry-land/787534 "2017-05-27T13:38:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-swans-take-off-from-dry-land/787534/41 "2017-05-29T13:37:34Z")

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Less runway needed if there is a headwind. Galileo could have told us that.

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**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-swans-take-off-from-dry-land/787534/42 "2017-05-29T19:43:00Z")

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OK - settled then? Good.

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**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-swans-take-off-from-dry-land/787534/43 "2017-05-30T10:15:01Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> And all of the sheep in this field are white on this side, at least.

Oh, well played. Seriously.

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**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-swans-take-off-from-dry-land/787534/44 "2018-12-13T18:45:14Z")

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A bump.

This morning I witnessed three mute swans taking flight from a field near my house in Scotland. It’s not the most graceful thing I’ve ever witnessed, and they are certainly not mute when making the effort, but impressive all the same!

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