Appearance: - The Black-necked Swan has a white body with a black head and neck, a greyish beak with large red knob near the base of the beak, and a white eye-stripe. Both sexes are similar with the male (Cob) being slightly larger than the female (Pen).
Size: - Typical Adult is 115-140cm (45-55in).
Food: - Mainly aquatic plants, insects, and fish spawn.
Habitat/Range: - Wetlands, marshes, lagoons, and shallow lakes in southern South America - Chilean Southern Zone, Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and on the Falkland Islands. In the austral winter, this species migrates northwards to northern Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil.
Notes: - The Black-necked Swan is the largest waterfowl native to South America. They spend much of their time on the water as they are poor at walking due to their legs being set far back on their bodies. This makes it difficult for them to get airbourne but they are strong fliers. Like the Mute Swan, they are quiet birds.
WWT Slimbridge Video clips:
Current video:
Black-necked Swan - April 2011 & July 2012
More videos:
Black-necked Swan - May 2013
Black-necked Swan - August 2016
View these videos on Youtube