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Black Swan Facts & Worksheets

The black swan is a large waterfowl with a red bill and black feathers. It is a monogamous breeder where both males and females in a pair share incubation and cygnet care.

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The large water bird Cygnus atratus, sometimes known as the black swan, breeds primarily in Australia’s southeast and southwest regions. The black swan migrates infrequently around Australia according to the weather. It is a big bird with a red bill and black feathers. It is a monogamous breeder where both couples share incubation and cygnet care.

See the fact file below for more information on the Black Swan, or you can download our 26-page Black Swan worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

OVERVIEW

  • In the 1800s, the black swan was brought to several countries as an attractive bird, but it managed to get away and establish permanent colonies. 
  • The black swan was traditionally classified within the monotypic genus Chenopis after being formally described by English naturalist John Latham in 1790. 
  • Black swans might be seen alone or in loose groups of hundreds to thousands of individuals. It is a well-liked bird in bird collections and zoological gardens, and escapees are occasionally spotted beyond their natural habitat.
  • This bird is a local emblem for both the English town of Dawlish, in which it is a species that was introduced, and Western Australia, where it is native.
  • Black swans are birds with a black appearance and white flying feathers. The legs and feet are a dark greyish-black, and the bill is a vivid red color with a pale bar and tip. 
  • Cobs, which are males, have a longer and straighter bill than pens, which are females. The feather edges of cygnets’ (young birds) greyish-brown plumage are pale.

DESCRIPTION

  • Black swans are mature when they reach a length of 110–142 centimeters (43–56 in) and a weight of 3.7-9 kilograms (8.2–19.8 lb). Their wingspan ranges from 5.2 to 6.6 feet (1.6 to 2 meters). 
  • Their neck is long and bent in an “S” shape, making it quite the most extended neck amongst swans.
  • The black swan makes various gentler, crooning notes and a melodic, far-reaching sound that resembles a bugle when it calls while flying or on the water. In particular, whenever disturbed while breeding or nesting, it can whistle.
  • Black swans frequently retain their feathers or wings in an angry display while swimming with their necks held arched or erect. 
  • A group of black swans will take the shape of a line or a V while flying, each bird flying strongly with an arched neck and emitting whistling sounds with its wings and baying, bugling, or trumpeting calls.
  • Although it can be mistaken for a magpie goose in flight in low light and from a distance, the black swan differs from any other Australian bird. Nonetheless, the black swan is identified by its significantly longer neck and slower wing beat.
  • There are also known to be white, black swans, which are leucistic and thought to occur infrequently in the wild. 
  • One captive group of black swans in Lakeland, Florida, has produced a few light-mottled grey offspring instead of black.

DISTRIBUTION

  • The black swan favors the wetlands of southern and eastern Australia and nearby coastal islands.
  • While in the east, it covers a sizable region bordered by the Atherton Tableland, the Eyre Peninsula, and Tasmania, with the Murray Darling Basin sustaining huge populations of black swans, its range in the southwest includes an area between North West Cape, Cape Leeuwin, and Eucla. In Australia’s central and northern regions, it is unusual.
  • The preferred habitat of the black swan includes fresh, salty, saltwater lakes, marshes, rivers, and emergent and emergent and submerged plants to eat and nest materials. It also prefers permanent wetlands, such as ornamental lakes.
  • Still, it is occasionally seen on the open ocean near islands or the beach and in flooded pastures and tidal mudflats.
  • Formerly believed to be sedentary, the black swan is now understood to be a highly adaptable species. 
  • Opportunistic reactions to either rainfall or drought prevail over a fixed migration pattern. In years with a lot of rain, inhabitants move from the southwest and southeast to the interior, and in years with less rain, they return to these heartlands. 
  • Black swans will move to the dry central regions to breed and rear their young when rainfall occurs.
  • The adult birds will, however, forsake the nests and their eggs or cygnets and head back to wetter locations if dry circumstances return before the young are raised.
  • Like many other waterfowl, the black swan molts after breeding and loses all its flight feathers at once, rendering it unable to fly for almost a month. For safety, it will typically dwell in vast, open oceans at this time.
  • According to estimates, the species occurs in an area ranging from one to ten million km2. There may be 500,000 individuals on the planet now. This prolific and ubiquitous bird has no known extinction threat or severe population decline.
  • When Willem de Vlamingh’s voyage toured Western Australia’s Swan River in 1697, they were the first Europeans to discover black swans.

BEHAVIOR

  • Diet and Feeding Although there may be some regional and seasonal variation, the black swan’s diet is typically dominated by aquatic and marshland vegetation. 
  • The most significant food source for birds in New South Wales wetlands is the reedmace leaf (genus Typha), followed by submerged algae and aquatic plants like Vallisneria. 
  • Aquatic plants like Potamogeton, stoneworts, and algae are Queensland‘s primary food sources. 
  • The precise makeup changes depending on the water level; when traditional food sources are inaccessible due to flooding, black swans graze on shoreside pasture plants. Like other swans, the black swan feeds itself.
  • Nesting and Reproduction Like other swans, the black swan is typically monogamous and pairs for life (divorce rates are around 6%). 
  • Recent research has revealed that around one-third of all broods display extra-pair paternity. 
  • An estimated 25% of relationships, mainly between males, are same-sex. To gather eggs, they take over nests or temporarily group with three females, forcing the female away after she has laid the eggs.
  • In the Southern Hemisphere, black swans often breed during the wetter seasons (from February until September), occasionally in enormous colonies. 
  • In shallow water or on islands, a black swan nest typically consists of a sizable heap or mound of reeds, grasses, and weeds between 1 and 1.5 meters (3-4+12 feet) in diameter and up to 1 meter high. Every year, a nest is reused, repaired, or constructed as necessary.
  • In charge of the nest are both parents. Four to eight greenish-white eggs typically make up a clutch and are incubated for 35 to 40 days. 
  • To time the release of the chicks, incubation starts after the last egg is laid. Both sexes use ritualized displays to signal the transition between incubation cycles.
  • Both sexes will use their necks to retrieve eggs that unintentionally roll outside the nest, but only the female of other swan species can do this. 
  • Like other swans, black swans actively guard their nests using their wings and beaks. 
  • The parents care for the cygnets when they hatch for roughly nine months until they fly away. Cygnets may ride on their parent’s backs for longer journeys into deeper water. 
  • However, black swans engage in this behavior less often than mute and black-necked swans.

RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS

  • Conservation National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1974 (section 5) grants legal protection for the black swan in New South Wales, Australia. 
  • The Black Swan is protected in all Australian states and territories, and shooting it is prohibited. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species rates it as Least Concern.
  • Australian tradition Before Europeans arrived in Australia, the black swan appeared in literature or art. 
  • The foundation of cultural reference was a distinguishing motif and a symbolic contrast.
  • Since the colonies’ establishment in the seventeenth century, the black swan has played a significant role in Australian heraldry and culture. 
  • It has frequently been associated with antipodean identity, with the white swan from the northern hemisphere serving as a sign of ‘Australianness.’ 
  • The Western Australian state bird and emblem, the black swan, is described on the flag, the Coat of Arms, and other symbols used by the state’s institutions. From 1854 to 1902, Western Australia’s only postage stamp design was the Black Swan.
  • Indigenous Australia The black swan is known by the Noongar People of Australia’s Southwest by the names Kooldjak across the West and Southwest coasts, Gooldjak in the South East, and occasionally maali in the language schools.

Black Swan Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Black Swan across 26 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Black Swan. The large water bird Cygnus atratus, sometimes known as the black swan, breeds primarily in Australia’s southeast and southwest regions.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Black Swan Facts
  2. Word Hunt, in a Sentence 
  3. Know My Body Parts
  4. Trivia Challenge
  5. Sci Class
  6. The Life Cycle
  7. Necessity for Survival 
  8. Poem Creating 
  9. This is Not a Swan
  10. Campaign Sign 
  11. My Black Swan

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a black swan in the context of biology?

In biology, a black swan refers to a species of swan known as Cygnus atratus. It is native to Australia and is characterized by its black plumage. Unlike the more common white swans, the black swan is a unique and striking bird.

Are black swans really black?

Yes, black swans are indeed black. Their feathers are predominantly black, although they may have small patches of white on their wings. Their beaks are bright red and their legs are grayish-black.

Where are black swans found?

Black swans are native to Australia and are widespread throughout the country. They can be found in various habitats such as lakes, rivers, and estuaries. They have also been introduced to other parts of the world, including New Zealand, Europe, North America, and parts of Asia.

Are black swans common or rare?

Black swans are relatively common in their native range of Australia, where they are considered an iconic species. However, in other parts of the world where they have been introduced, they are generally considered rare and are often seen as exotic birds.

Do black swans have any symbolic meaning?

Yes, black swans can carry symbolic meanings in various cultures. In Western societies, they are sometimes associated with uniqueness, elegance, or the idea of an unexpected event (referring to the metaphorical concept of black swan events). In some indigenous Australian cultures, black swans hold cultural and spiritual significance and are often featured in myths and folklore.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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