Black swan

검은고니

An all-black swan with a red bill tipped in white. Only its flight feathers are white, seen in flight. It lives on lakes and wetlands of Australia and is an emblem of Western Australia.

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At a glance

Class: Birds
Lives in: Lakes of southwestern Australia
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 6 kg
Length: about 1.25 m
Lifespan: up to about 40 years
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: wetlands, rivers & lakes

Quick answers

Where does the Black swan live?

It lives in wetlands, rivers & lakes. On the globe you can find it near Lakes of southwestern Australia.

How big is the Black swan?

It grows to about 1.25 m and 6 kg.

What does the Black swan eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

How long does the Black swan live?

It can live up to about 40 years.

Is the Black swan endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The black swan is a large water bird that breeds mainly in southeastern and southwestern Australia. It is mostly black with a bright red bill, and it is the symbol of Western Australia. It lives on lakes, swamps and rivers, and sometimes even on the open sea near the coast.

Black swans are nomadic inside Australia, moving around as rain and water levels change. They can be seen alone or in loose flocks of hundreds or even thousands. Unlike European swans, it is mostly black, with white only on the flight feathers that show when it flies. Many wetlands in Australia, such as the Murray–Darling basin, support very large populations.

Family life

Black swans are monogamous, which means pairs stay together. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs and look after the cygnets, as baby swans are called. A pair prefers wetlands with underwater plants to eat and with reeds and other plants for the nest. The birds eat water plants and use reeds and other plants to build their nests. Cygnets are grey, and they get their black feathers as they grow.

Far from home

The British naturalist John Latham described the species scientifically in 1790. Later, black swans were taken to other countries in the 1800s as ornamental birds. Some escaped and formed wild groups, and in the English town of Dawlish a population introduced there has become a local symbol. In the wild they are tough survivors of dry spells, because they simply fly to wherever there is water. Black swans are popular in zoos and parks around the world.

Fun facts

Europeans believed all swans were white until Dutch explorers saw black swans in Western Australia in 1697.
It is a regional symbol of Western Australia.
Both parents help to sit on the eggs and raise the cygnets.
It has been introduced to other countries, where some escaped and formed wild groups.