- CHARACTERISTICS
- Once they are adults, the plumage of the head and neck is black except for a white line which runs from the bill to the centre of the eye and extends to the back part of the head. The rest of the plumage is white. The facial skin is red, the same as the caruncle which grows on its bill. The legs are pink.
There is no sexual dimorphism in the plumage, with the male being larger than the female, presenting a more developed red caruncle at the base of the bill.
- DIET
- They feed on algae and aquatic plants, also on invertebrates such as insects.
- REPRODUCTION
- They build their nests from grass, on the borders of lakes and lagoons. They lay between three to seven cream coloured eggs which the female incubates for 34 to 36 days. The male is close by, defending the clutch, with ferocious attacks on animals that come close to the eggs or squabs.
- CURIOSITIES
- The juveniles tend to climb on the backs of the adult swans as in other species of the genus, hiding beneath the wing when there is danger.
During the non-reproductive season they are sociable, and once the breeding season is over they unite in their thousands, nesting in small colonies, dispersed or in solitary.
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- NAME
- Black-Necked Swan
- HABITAT
- Southern Brazil through to Tierra de Fuego.
- SCIENTIFIC NAME
- Cygnus melancoryphus
- SPICE
- Poultry
- DIET
- Omnivorous
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