• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Black Swan (1 Viewer)

Currently says "Feral populations can be found world-wide from escaped collections" - this is obviously not true, e.g. BOU does not accept any established feral population in Britain (species in category E, not C).

What countries around the world do have formally recognised feral (category C or equivalent) populations? Does anyone have any info, please?
 
Currently says "Feral populations can be found world-wide from escaped collections" - this is obviously not true, e.g. BOU does not accept any established feral population in Britain (species in category E, not C).

What countries around the world do have formally recognised feral (category C or equivalent) populations? Does anyone have any info, please?

How many pairs of Black Swan in Britain? Are they not breeding and maintaining a population in Essex (Abberton,etc)?

Though they may not have reached the BOU standard for a self-sustaining population, and thus category C, I think it is is perfectly correct to say they are a feral population.

I believe it would be incorrect, and misleading for Opus, to purely describe Black Swans in the UK as escapes - there are certainly multi-generation individuals of the breeding population. Category C elsewhere in Europe anyhow.
 
Last edited:
How many pairs of Black Swan in Britain? Are they not breeding and maintaining a population in Essex (Abberton,etc)?

25 pairs in 2010, 17 in 2011 (BB 107: 128).

Though they may not have reached the BOU standard for a self-sustaining population, and thus category C, I think it is is perfectly correct to say they are a feral population. I believe it would be incorrect, and misleading for Opus, to purely describe Black Swans in the UK as escapes - there are certainly multi-generation individuals of the breeding population.

I'd be inclined to stick with BOU (and other relevant national authority) rules :t:

Category C elsewhere in Europe anyhow.

Which countries, though, please?
 
I'd be inclined to stick with BOU (and other relevant national authority) rules :t:

As I understand, BOU adjudicates if there is a self-sustaining population for purposes of classifying to category C, I would not see this arguing against the presence of a feral population.

British Birds for example does acknowledge a population, citing it as the most widely distributed rare non-native breeding bird in Britain. If I understand Opus, it is primarily a source for the general readership, so when folk find Opus on google after seeing a pair of Black Swans with cygnets on a reservoir in Britain, I think it should reflect the actuality - ie. there is a feral population, (feral: "having reverted to the wild state, especially after escape from captivity or domestication.").
 
I am with Josh on this opus does not say "established feral", only feral.

Secondly, the phrase "world wide" does not indicate presence in every country, only that it is widespread.

Niels
 
OK, but it would still be useful to have a listing of countries where established feral populations exist. I can't think of anywhere else to find this info.
 
I am not sure which section of BF, but make a search in for example taxonomy and bird id sections. I have the feeling it is C in the Netherlands but I do not have the data at hand either.

Actually, something came to mind: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/AERC WPlist July 2015.pdf

Niels

Thanks! I'll take a look. The AERC list I suspect only does a sample, I'd not be surprised if it is Cat. C in a few other European countries as well.
 
Did you know it was apparently Napoleon Bonaparte's wife Josephine who was the first to breed Black Swans in the Northern Hemisphere?
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top