Swans

Swans are waterfowl of either black<ref>J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Great River"/ref> or white color, though usually the latter. They were an important bird in the tales of the Elder Days. The Teleri seem to have especially revered swans, naming their city Alqualondë (the Swanhaven), and building their ships in swan-form. As well, the white swan's wing was the symbol for Tuor and his company (House of the Wing) in Gondolin.

Inspiration

"...they [Ronald and Hilary] would scamper away from the yard, and run round to a place behind the mill [at Sarehole] where there was a silent pool with swans swimming on it."

― J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography

Portrayal in Adaptations

1988, 1994: Middle-earth Role Playing:

Black Swans are described and given role-playing statistics in the supplements Creatures of Middle-earth and Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition). They are conceived as quite ill-meaning creatures "known to mob and overturn boats", and larger than normal swans.