- Cygnus atratus
Identification
110-142cm (43¼-56 in)
- Mainly black plumage
- White flight feathers of the wing edges
- Bright red bill with a pale bar and tip
- Greyish black legs and feet
Immatures - greyish-brown with pale-edged feathers.
Distribution
Southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Has also been introduced to all of New Zealand.
Feral populations can be found world-wide from escaped collections.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Any wet area, fresh water and salt water. Swamps and rivers.
Behaviour
Diet
They have a vegetarian diet, consisting of the leaves and shoots of a variety of aquatic plants.
Breeding
Both sexes build the large nest which is a 1meter high mound of reeds, grasses and weeds which may be up to 1.5 metres diameter, in shallow water or on islands. The clutch of 4-8 greenish-white eggs are incubated for about 35-40 days. The young fledge about 6 months later.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black Swan. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Swan
External Links
