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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Yarn bombing in the village of Gurnard, England
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Trullo buildings in Alberobello, Apulia, Italy
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Northern coast of Colombia
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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
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Galeries Lafayette, Paris
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Kluane National Park
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Polar bears
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Floating market, Kaptai Lake, Bangladesh
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Carl Sagan Day
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Trunks stick together
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There was gold in them there hills…
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World Reef Awareness Day
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Celebrating Take Your Dog to Work Day
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Grand Teton National Park
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Sundance Film Festival opens in Park City
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A visionary artist paints his own garden view
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Aýna, Albacete, Spain
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You ve never seen anything like this
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Night view of the RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
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International Whale Shark Day
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Prince Christian Sound in southern Greenland
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Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
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Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington
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Apples ready for harvest in Minnesota
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A spectacle unlike any other
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Ahh-tumn
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It s Computer Science Education Week
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Let’s celebrate
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International Tiger Day
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Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

