Description

Growing to a length of around 142 cms and weighing up to 9 kgs, this mostly black bird has a long, “S”-shaped curved neck. Its black plumage is broken up by broad white tips on the end of its wing tips that are visible in flight. Black Swans have a deep orange coloured bill, with a narrow white band on the tip. Younger birds have pale grey plumage and black wing tips. Males are known as “cobs”, females “pens” and the young as “cygnets”.

Habitat

Black Swans are located throughout Australia, except for Cape York Peninsula.  While native to Australia, the species has been introduced to New Zealand and Europe. The birds live in lakes, rivers and swampland, in salt, fresh or brackish water.

Diet

As herbivores, Black Swans eat algae and weeds that grow in water. They can plunge their necks one metre below the surface to find food. The birds also occasionally eat insects and can graze on land, but they are clumsy walkers.

Behaviour

The least territorial of all swan species, Black Swans are nomadic when food is scarce. They feed at dusk and travel at night, calling as they fly.  Cobs are known to perform an elaborate dance, known as a “Triumph Ceremony”, which occurs after he’s successfully fought off a rival suitor for a mate. After that, it’s a partnership for life. Should one partner die, the other will usually live out the rest of its life alone.

Reproduction

Black Swans have different breeding cycles, depending on latitude. In the north, breeding season is February to May. In the south, June to September. The birds usually nest in pairs, but sometimes they can nest in large colonies. The female lays a clutch of up to eight eggs that take around 40 days to incubate. Both parents care for the chicks and sometimes carry them on their backs in deep water. At six months of age the chicks can fly, but remain with the family group until the next breeding season.

Lifespan

Black Swans have been known to live for 40 years in the wild.

Threats & Conservation Status

With a current global population estimated to be 500,000, Black Swans are not at risk of extinction. However they are protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act.

More Amazing Facts

• The Black Swan is unlike any other Australian bird.
• Black Swans do not have teeth. Instead, they have serrations on the edge of their beak to help grip water plants.
• For many years it was assumed that all swans were white, until the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh discovered Black Swans on the western coast of New Holland in 1697. The sighting occurred on what he named the Swan River, and the Black Swan later featured on the coat of arms of Western Australia. Until the 17th Century, the term “all swans are white” had long been used as a saying to describe a well-known truth.