A rare black swan has been spotted taking in the glorious sunshine on the Menai Strait today, Sunday 3 July.
Native to Australia, the black swan caused a sensation when it was first brought to Europe around the turn of the 18th century. As its name suggests, the black swan is mostly dark purplish-black, with a bright red bill, and prominent white patches on the wings, easily visible in flight.
A 2012 study of bird populations in the British Isles found there were just 37 confirmed nesting pairs of black swans in the country.
It is slightly smaller than the mute and whooper swans, at up to 142 cm (56 inches) long and weighing up to 9 kg (19.8 lbs). Black swans have always been kept in waterfowl collections and on park lakes, but in recent years some have escaped and gone feral, even breeding in the wild – though as yet, unlike the Canada goose, they have not yet been accepted as an official British bird.
Black swans are vegetarians, using their metre long necks to reach down and eat algae and underwater weeds.
On the ground, a group of black swans is called a bank. When flying in a group, they are called a wedge.
Photos: Chris Owen
