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Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) Aboriginal name(s): "koolyn", "mooroocoochin", "burbugate", "conawarre", "coonawa", "dunedoo", "goonawarra" ("koonawarra"), "koogarra", "kooraloo", "koorawarri", "kootie", "kungari", "mullewa"; "baiamul"/"baayamal" [yuwaalayaay], "barayamal" [gamilaraay], "burunda" [gamilaraay]; "koltjak", "marli", "wilar", "wanar", "woorotho", "koon-war-ror" (WA); "kelangunya", "pugherittah" (TAS) Size: 1.1-1.4 m; wing span 1.6-2 m Weight: 3.7-9 kg

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Black Swans are large, almost all-black swans, with white primary and secondary flight feathers, a long, slender neck and a red bill with a white bar near the tip. The grey-brown edges of their feathers may give them a mottled appearance. Male Black Swans are taller than females>/A>. During their moult, Black Swans are flightless. Black Swan cygnets are all-grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Black Swan at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Black Swan is available HERE . The populations in western and central Europe and in New Zealand are introduced. Black Swans are endemic to Australia. Their range extends over more than half of the Australian continent. Depending on the availability of water, they can be found anywhere except the most arid regions, i.e. the major deserts in the western half of WA, the south-western corner of the NT and the eastern half of SA. They are most common along the eastern, south-eastern and south-western seaboard, most of the Great Dividing Range and the Murray-Darling Basin. Black Swans have a preference for fresh water habitats with open water surrounded by dense vegetation, such as lakes, swamps, mudflats and also dams lined with dense reeds. They will also stay in suitable wetlands in urban parks.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Black Swans can be seen regularly in various types of wetlands in inland NSW, e.g. at Narrabri Lake. We have also spotted them in other locations in the Narrabri area after the significant rainfalls of May/June 2007. A small number stayed around Narrabri Lake throughout the winter of 2008. Seen also during the winter of 2010 and in the years since. Also spotted by us at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake about 30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW, when the lake was full in 2011/12. Black Swans were also found by C. Hayne at Whittaker's Lagoon, 20 km west of Moree, NSW, and many other wetlands in the area. Seen as far inland as Walgett, NSW, in ephemeral wetlands in April 2009. Also spotted by us in many locations in central QLD, in particular also, in large numbers, in the wetlands of Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon, in July 2009. Special access to the wetlands kindly granted by the owners of Capricorn Resort is most gratefully acknowledged. Later we have also spotted Black Swans in many locations along the NSW coast and in the northern tablelands (e.g. Dangars Lagoon near Uralla, NSW, and Mother of Ducks Lagoon NR, Guyra, NSW). We also saw some in the area of Geraldton, WA, in March 2003. Also seen on the banks of River Torrens (which forms a lake) in Adelaide, SA, by J. Thurmer in February 2009. Black Swans were spotted by us also at Currawinya NP in south-western QLD. They are also commonly found in wetlands in other parts of QLD, for example on the Gold Coast, as reported by A. & J. Ross-Taylor. R. Plumtree reports spotting Black Swans at Hollands Landing, Lake Victoria, East Gippsland, VIC, in October 2014. J. Greaves reports spotting Black Swans regularly in Perth, WA, and in other parts of WA. They were also spotted on Kangaroo Island, SA, in March 2016. K. White reports finding Chestnut Teals regularly at St Georges Basin on the NSW South Coast.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Near-frontal view of a male(?) Black Swan resting in shallow water
[Mother of Ducks Lagoon NR, NSW, March 2012]

Lateral view of a male Black Swan
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2006]

The same male as shown above, now with its partner
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2006]

Close-up lateral view of a male Black Swan (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Carrara, Gold Coast, QLD, 2014]

FEMALE

Dorsal view of a female(?) Black Swan
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2010]

Pair of Black Swans feeding in shallow water; the female (front) has just plucked something from the mud

Life is not all black and white; there can also be the occasional speck of red
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2008]

Pair of Black Swans taking off in a hurry
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, January 2011]

When such massive birds try to lift off, one had better not get in their way... (like the Dusky Moorhen under the feet of the leading swan)
[Mother of Ducks Lagoon NR, NSW, March 2012]

Frontal view of a Black Swan in flight
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2012]

Bird trivia question: What is THAT? Click on image to see the full picture
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Two immature Black Swans having a good look at an Australasian Swamphen (photo courtesy of C. Lawrence)
[Commonwealth Park Lake, Canberra, ACT, September 2015]

Family of Black Swans (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Robina, Gold Coast, QLD, May 2015]

Pair of Black Swans with three cygnets (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Pair of Black Swans with a cygnets; according to size, the male is probably the bird at the centre (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo, NSW, April 2016]

Adult Black Swan with cygnets (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Black Swan cygnets

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Sep

Eggs: 5 - 6

Incubation period: 35 - 45 days

Fledging age: 120 - 160 days

The breeding season depends significantly on geographical latitude. In the tropical north Black Swans breed Feb - Apr. Given the right conditions, they can breed any time of the year.

Nest

"bungobittah", "malunna" = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Reeds

Height above ground: N/A

For unknown reasons the nest shown below was later abandoned. The birds that had been observed there were subsequently not spotted any longer either, while elsewhere in the region Black Swans went about their breeding business. They returned out of the high reeds two months later, with their young.

Close-up view of a Black Swan on its nest (photo courtesy of J. Thurmer)

The person near this Black Swan nest provides a reference scale for both the size of the nest mound and the depth of water (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Macquarie Marshes NP, NSW, 1989]

Black Swan nesting on a platform surrounded by water
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2010]

The same Black Swan as shown above, snoozing on its nest
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2010]

Here a Black Swan with a much more exposed nest (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Black Swan on its nest (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Gold Coast, QLD, August 2014]

This Black Swan built its nest in an ephemeral wetland on a grain field that subsequently fell dry again

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 105 x 66 mm

Colour: Creamy green

Shape: Tapered oval

Close-up view of a Black Swan nest with 7 eggs inside (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Macquarie Marshes NP, NSW, 1989]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Nomadic

Elementary unit: Pair/flock

After the nest described above was abandoned, we only spotted occasionally a single Black Swan at Narrabri Lake for about 2 months. In late November 2010 then the first family emerged out of dense reeds, with their offspring (see photo).

Family of Black Swans with three cygnets
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2010]

Like other aquatic species, Black Swans are known to carry their offspring on their backs
[Little Llangothlin NR, NSW, August 2015]

Food, Diet

Like all other geese, ducks and swans, Black Swans are vegetarian. They feed on underwater plants.

Adult Black Swan harvesting underwater (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Black Swan cygnet being fed (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

blswan_20141010.mp3	(NW NSW)	Warning call (human)	© MD
blswan_20161218_3.mp3	(NW NSW)	Concert (group)	© MD
blswan_20161218_2.mp3	(NW NSW)	?	© MD

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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