From Opus

Photo by Fritz73
Location: Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Cygnus melanocoryphus

[edit] Identification

Males - 115-140 cm; females - 102-124 cm

• White body
• Black neck and head
• Greyish bill
• Red knob near base of bill
• White stripe behind eye

Cygnet - Plumage light grey, bill and feet black.

[edit] Distribution

Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Falkland Islands. In winter, Paraguay and southern Brazil.

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic.

[edit] Habitat

Freshwater marshes, lagoon and lake shores.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

Four to six eggs are laid in a nest of vegetation mound.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes vegetation, insects and fish spawn.

[edit] External Links