These big birds are familiar to most Australians. What might be surprising is that they're vegetarians, eating water plants like algae and weeds. The swan will plunge its head into the water to grab a beak-full, and that's where that long neck comes in handy. It allows it to reach deeper into the water than most other birds. Occasionally these birds will graze on pastures. I sometimes see them nibbling on grass.
Growing up fast
Baby swans are called cygnets, from the Latin word for swan, cygnus. These little guys, shown below in different levels of development, won't start getting their bill and eye colouring until they're about 2 months old. By the time they're 18 months old they can breed.





The Black Swan's nest is a mound of whatever it can find in the area, mainly sticks and leaves. Both parents build the nest and its size depends on how much stuff the swan can find. The birds lay up to about ten eggs and, despite claims to the contrary in the story of The Ugly Duckling, the young are seriously cute. The young are able to swim soon after hatching and the family will stay together for about nine months. |