Fly Agaric vs Mute Swan

Amanita muscaria compared with Cygnus olor

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Mute Swan is Near Threatened.
Fly Agaric is decomposer while Mute Swan is herbivore.
Mute Swan is 120.0x heavier than Fly Agaric.
Mute Swan lives longer (20 years vs 1 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Mute Swan
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Anatidae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Cygnus
Species	Amanita muscaria	Cygnus olor

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Mute Swan

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Mute Swan
Diet	Decomposer	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	1 years	20 years
Average Length	20 cm	1.5 m
Average Weight	100 g	12.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fly Agaric

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Mute Swan

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 8 distinct biome types.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Dominican Republic, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Colombia, Peru). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.

Mute Swan

The most commonly encountered swan globally and one of the largest flying birds, mute swans weigh up to 15 kg and inhabit lakes, rivers, and coastal bays across Europe and Asia, with widespread introduced populations in North America and Australia. Despite their name, mute swans produce a range of hissing, grunting, and wing-whistling sounds. Males aggressively defend territories and are capable of injuring humans and drowning dogs with powerful wing strikes.