Black swan: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the black swan lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Cygnus atratus
Group	Ducks, geese & swans
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	2 countries
Continents	Oceania
Mass	258 g (birth weight); 6.2 kg (male organism, adult weight); 5.1 kg (female organism, adult weight)
Class	Bird
Order	Anseriformes
Family	Anatidae

Where does the black swan live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the black swan in 2 countries and territories across Oceania. Wikidata lists it as endemic to Australia. Wikidata gives its range as: Australia. In New Zealand it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Australia
New Zealand (introduced)

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a black swan?

Wikidata records the following for the black swan: mass 258 g (birth weight); 6.2 kg (male organism, adult weight); 5.1 kg (female organism, adult weight).

Is the black swan endangered?

The black swan’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the black swan?

The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a bird in the order Anseriformes and the family Anatidae, genus Cygnus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the black swan

The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent on climatic conditions. It is a large bird with black plumage and a red bill. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.

Black swans can be found singly, or in loose companies numbering into the hundreds or even thousands. It is a popular bird in zoological gardens and bird collections, and escapees are sometimes seen outside their natural range. The black swan was introduced to various countries as an ornamental bird in the 1800s, but has managed to escape and form stable populations.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Black swan (revision 1377565588), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q131044 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).