Black Swan

Cygnus atratus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernPlantsWetlandPlatform nestHuge · 5.6 kg

What the Black Swan sounds like

Sonogram of the Black Swan: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Alarm call, call · Sougeal, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Black Swan: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call · Sougeal, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Black Swan: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call · Sougeal, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

Black swans are black-feathered birds, with white flight feathers. The bill is bright red, with a pale bar and tip; and legs and feet are greyish-black. Cobs (males) are slightly larger than pens (females), with a longer and straighter bill. Cygnets (immature birds) are a greyish-brown with pale-edged feathers. Mature black swans measure between 110 and 142 centimetres (43 and 56 in) in length and weigh 3.7–9 kilograms (8.2–19.8 lb). Their wingspan is between 1.6 and 2 metres (5.2 and 6.6 ft). The neck is long (relatively the longest neck among the swans) and curved in an "S"-shape.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Black Swan

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Black Swan

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 45 countries with regular records, and 10 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, Norway, Taiwan, Finland, Mexico, Luxembourg, Colombia, Mauritius, Israel, Chile.

About the Black Swan

The black swan is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent on climatic conditions. It is a large bird with black plumage and a red bill. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Black Swan vs Whooper Swan · Black Swan vs Trumpeter Swan · Black Swan vs Tundra Swan · Black Swan vs Muscovy Duck · Black-necked Swan vs Black Swan

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