A subfamily classification of swans and closely related waterfowl within the larger duck and goose family.
From Latin 'cygnus' (swan) + '-inae' (subfamily suffix). This taxonomic classification became standard in 19th-century ornithology.
Taxonomists organize swans into subfamilies to show which species are closest cousins—Cygninae is like the 'neighborhood' where all the true swans live within the larger waterfowl family!
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