{"id":11739,"date":"2022-08-05T16:39:53","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T21:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=11739"},"modified":"2022-08-06T12:09:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T17:09:04","slug":"how-rare-are-black-swans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/how-rare-are-black-swans\/","title":{"rendered":"How Rare Are Black Swans?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When you hear the term<em><strong> \u201cblack swan,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>you may think of an event that is extremely unlikely or impossible; alternately, you may think of the popular movie which has led many people to believe that black swans don\u2019t exist at all. They are a real <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/swan\/\">type of swan<\/a>, however, that is found in some parts of the world. So, you may be wondering, how rare are black swans? Where are they found in the world? Keep reading! In this article, we\u2019ll answer all of these questions and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Black Swan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" src=\"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-1.jpg\" alt=\"What is a Black Swan?\" class=\"wp-image-11721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-1.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A black swan is a particular species of swan native to Australia. It is found widely throughout the Australian mainland as well as in New Zealand and Tasmania.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Black swans are similar in size to most other swans, though they are typically heavier and sometimes live longer\u2013up to 40 years. They are almost completely black or dark gray in color, though they sometimes have white feathers on the undersides of their wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They also have bright red eyes and bills. Their bills have pale cream-colored or white tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Black swans share many characteristics with other types of swans: they mate for life, have long, curved necks, and spend a lot of time in the water eating aquatic plants. Unlike other types of swans, they often build nests together in colonies and display friendlier tendencies toward humans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Black swans generally don\u2019t migrate; they tend to stay in the same locations year-round, though they may move around in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/what-do-swans-eat\/\">search of food<\/a> if they exhaust the resources in a given location. They are more active at night, as they are nearly impossible to see while flying in the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out this video to learn more about black swans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"container-lazyload preview-lazyload container-youtube js-lazyload--not-loaded\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cKdcxgcg37U\" class=\"lazy-load-youtube preview-lazyload preview-youtube\" data-video-title=\"Wildlife World Zoo: Black Swan\" title=\"Play video &quot;Wildlife World Zoo: Black Swan&quot;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cKdcxgcg37U<\/a><noscript>Video can&#8217;t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cKdcxgcg37U\" title=\"Wildlife World Zoo: Black Swan\">Wildlife World Zoo: Black Swan (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cKdcxgcg37U)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Rare Are Black Swans?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Black swans were once thought to be nonexistent; the term<em> \u201cblack swan\u201d<\/em> was used to describe something that was improbable or impossible, but it was thought that all swans were white. The first black swans discovered by Europeans were found in 1697 while the Dutchman Willem de Vlamingh was exploring Western Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Even after they were first discovered, they were thought to be quite rare; but this was not the case.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We now know that black swans are extremely widespread within their native environment; in fact, there are thought to be up to one million back swans in the world. That\u2019s quite an impressive number considering they are native only to the Australian continent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The black swan is so common in Western Australia that it is considered the official bird of the state. In the state of Victoria as well as the island of Tasmania, the black swan can be hunted for short seasons because of how widespread it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With this in mind, black swans are not considered rare or endangered. In fact, the IUCN currently has them listed under a status of <em>\u201cleast concern.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, black swans are extremely rare outside of Australia. They are not a native species anywhere else in the world, so they are not found in the wild; though some people keep them as pets, and they are frequently found in zoos and nature preserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Are Black Swans Found?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" src=\"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-3.jpg\" alt=\"Where Are Black Swans Found?\" class=\"wp-image-11719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-3.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-3-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-3-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As noted in the above section, wild black swans are only found on the Australian continent, where they are common and widespread. They are frequently found near bodies of water throughout various Australian states, as well as New Zealand and Tasmania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Like other swans, black swans live in a variety of wetland habitats: near ponds, streams, rivers, marshes, and coastal areas. These habitats provide an abundance of food sources, wide open areas for swimming, and ample nest-building sites.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Black swans can also be found in zoos throughout the world. They are sometimes kept as pets; in 2021, a pair of <a href=\"https:\/\/patch.com\/new-york\/northfork\/rare-black-swans-set-head-forever-sanctuary\">formerly domestic black swans were rescued<\/a> in New York and relocated to a sanctuary in North Carolina after apparently being abandoned by their owners.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Black swans released into the wild rarely survive outside of Australia, as the winters in other parts of the world are too cold for them and they are not familiar with local predators.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any black swans found in the wild outside of the Australian continent should be reported to local animal control services. These services can safely capture the swans and relocate them to a local zoo or sanctuary where they will be well cared for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Black swans are unique-looking swans native to the Australian continent. They are not rare; rather, they are extremely common in some of the Australian states as well as Tasmania and New Zealand\u2013so common, in fact, that they are legally hunted in Victoria and Tasmania and are the official bird of Western Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you hear the term \u201cblack swan,\u201d you may think of an event that is extremely unlikely or impossible; alternately, you may think of the popular movie which has led many people to believe that black swans don\u2019t exist at all. They are a real type of swan, however, that is found in some parts &#8230; <a title=\"How Rare Are Black Swans?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/how-rare-are-black-swans\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Rare Are Black Swans?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11739"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11739"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11753,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11739\/revisions\/11753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}