Black swan - a noble bird

One of the most beautiful waterfowl on the planet is the black swan. In contrast to their own, more familiar for our eyes, white-winged relatives, these birds are smaller in size, but they have the longest neck among all the representatives of such birds. And you can fully appreciate their beauty if you see a black swan in flight - then there are noticeable contrasting white feathers in its wings, elegant lines of the body and graceful movements.

The homeland of these handsome men is Australia. On this closed continent, many unique species of flora and fauna have disappeared from the face of the rest of the world. The black swan is one of them. At the moment, this bird and on its native continent is on the verge of extinction in the wild. Occasionally, it is also possible to meet him in the natural environment on the islands of New Zealand, but in captivity he is spread all over the world as an inhabitant of zoos and ordinary city parks along with ducks, geese and swan-swans.

The black swan is a bird (the photo is a confirmation) noble and majestic! Involuntarily you hold your breath, admiring this handsome man! By the way, he does not roam according to the season, like other birds, preferring to stay in the same place, and can live without a problem all his life (and it is about 20 years old) in his area.

If you look at photos that depict a young black swan, you can be slightly disappointed. Nestlings and juveniles are completely different from adult swans. They are covered with brownish down, and only after reaching the age of five months begin to resemble their handsome parents. The wingspan of an adult swan can reach 2 meters, it usually weighs 4 to 8 kilograms. But, despite the seeming sluggishness, this handsome man takes off very quickly. Its beauty is considered undeniable among swans - beautiful dark plumage with moire pattern, contrasting dark red beak, curled flight feathers make its appearance truly fabulous.

Unlike the fellow-whisperers, the black swan has a loud trumpet voice, which he uses, beckoning his flock. These birds are quite sociable, live in communities and are characterized by a non-conflict nature. Perhaps, it is for this reason that they have become a favorite park birds around the world. And recently they can be found on the lawns of private estates. Along with peacocks and guinea fowls, these handsome men are adornment of a private house.

In the content they are unpretentious. The black swan feeds mainly on plants. Thanks to a long neck, he can extract their stems deep from under the water. In addition to food, the bird uses prey when organizing nests - nests of black swans are made from the stems of aquatic plants. And when kept in captivity, he uses remarkably corn, cabbage leaves and feed intended for geese. To keep a black swan in a private house, does not need a separate pool. Its need for water, it is not bad enough even in the presence of a conventional trough with water. In addition, they are well tolerated by low temperatures, and therefore they can be easily maintained in our climate in summer and in winter.