Black Swan
Encyclopedia : B : BL : BLA : Black Swan
The Black Swan, Cygnus atratus, is a large non-migratory waterbird which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest of Australia. It also found along the east coast of Australia, Tasmania and recently reintroduced in New Zealand. Prior to the arrival of the Māori a sub-species, the New Zealand Swan used to live in New Zealand. This subspecies was hunted to extinction.
The Black Swan is 130cm long and weighs up to 9kg (20lbs). It has all black plumage, except for the red bill, dark grey legs and white tips of the wing feathers. The neck is long and curved in an "S". On its red bill, there is a white bar near the tip. Both sexes are similar, with female slightly smaller and lighter than male. The cygnets have light grey plumage.
The Southern Hemisphere swan species differ from the all-white Northern Hemisphere swans in that they all have some black in the plumage, but only the Black Swan is almost completely black.
Every year, the adults moult and become flightless. During this time they gather on open lakes in flocks. The diet consists mainly of water plants and unlike many other waterbirds, they spend their entire life in area where they were hatched.
As with other swans, the Black Swan is largely (though not strictly, as is commonly believed) monogamous, pairing for life. It nests on large mounds build in the middle of a shallow lake and reuses the same nest each year, restoring or rebuilding it as needed. Male and female swans share the care of the nest, and once the cygnets are fledged, it is not uncommon to see whole families looking for food.
The official state emblem of Western Australia, the Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Trivia
- Black Swan was adopted as the name for a class of sloops built by the United Kingdom during World War II.
- Black Swans can also refer to Statistics Outlier or events outside of our normal expectations, like a swan turning out to be black.
- There are at least two Black Swans in Queen Mary's Gardens, Regent's Park, London.