Whooper swans on Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan
© Ocean/Corbis
Whooper swans on Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan
The cold winter months on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, bring migrating whooper swans to the frozen lakes of Akan National Park. Despite having fairly weak legs, whoopers make pretty graceful landings on the ice. They’re among the heaviest flying birds and those feeble limbs have a hard time supporting their body weight, so whooper swans spend most of their lives in the water or airborne on their powerful wings.