Ducks, geese, and swans · Waterfowl
Black Swan
Link copied.
Cygnus atratus
Link copied.
Voice
Alarm
Call
Call
How to recognize it
-
110–140 cm long
-
Black plumage, white flight feathers
-
Bright red bill with a pale band near the tip
-
Very long, S-shaped neck, arched or nearly upright while swimming
About the species
Most of its plumage is black, with white flight feathers usually hidden beneath the folded wings and sometimes showing at the edges. Its bright red bill has a pale band and tip, set against a dark face. In the water, its long neck curves into an S, above grey-black legs and feet.
Its call carries over the water, a long musical note like a bugle, sometimes followed by softer crooning or whistles. It dips its head and neck below the surface to feed, or tips forward in deeper water to reach plants below. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs and caring for the cygnets.
It uses freshwater, brackish and saltwater lakes, rivers and wetlands, including ornamental lakes, and feeds mainly on aquatic plants and algae. In Australia, it shifts between regions as rain and drought change water levels rather than following a fixed migration route. Outside its native range, introduced populations and escaped swans also occur.
Where to find
-
At ornamental lakes in western European parks, black swans are sometimes kept for display; watch them dip their heads and necks underwater to reach aquatic plants.
-
At lakes and rivers in Australia, listen for a musical, bugle-like call from the water or in flight.
-
In the Southern Hemisphere's wetter winter months, look around shallow water and islands for a large nest mound of reeds and grasses, with both parents tending the young.
