Black-necked Swan
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| Cygnus melancoryphus Molina, 1782 |
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The Black-necked Swan, Cygnus melancoryphus is a large, up to 124cm long, waterbird of South America. The body plumage is white with a black neck, head and greyish bill. It has a red knob near the base of the bill and white stripe behind eye. Both sexes are similar, with a slightly smaller female. The cygnet has a light grey plumage with black bill and feet. The Black-necked Swan was formerly placed in monotypic genus, Sthenelides.
The smallest member in its genus, it is found in freshwater marshes, lagoon and lake shores in the southern South America. The Black-necked Swan breeds in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and on the Falkland Islands. In winter, this species migrates northwards to Paraguay and southern Brazil. The Laguna Blanca National Park in Argentina is a protected home of this swan. The wetlands created by the Great Chilean Earthquake like Cruces River has became important population centers for the Black-necked Swan.
The Black-necked Swan, like its nearest relatives the Black and Mute Swan is relatively silent. Also, unlike most wildfowl, both parents regularly carry the cygnets on their backs. The female lays four to six eggs in a nest of vegetation mound. The diet consists mainly of vegetation, insects and fish spawn.
Widespread and common throughout its habitat, the Black-necked Swan is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
[edit] Gallery
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[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Cygnus melancoryphus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- David, N. & Gosselin, M. (2002): Gender agreement of avian species names. Bull. B. O. C. 122: 14-49.
