Range: South America: Brazil; Paraguay; Falkland Islands; Argentina; Chile; in winter moves to Tropic of Capricorn
Habitat: Coasts and inland waters
Description: Black head and neck; narrow white stripe from behind eye to nape; rest of plumage is white; dark brown iris; bluish-grey bill with red knob at base of upper mandible; legs and feet pink; 39 in. long; females similar but smaller. Their voice is a high pitched whistle except when in flight it resembles a honk. Although the smallest species of swan, it is also one of the most aggressive.
Adaptations/Habitat: Black-necked swans are sociable and live in groups. Sometimes these groups are quite large, especially in the vicinity of lakes, ponds and swamps in the southern half of South America. They are true aquatic birds and are very clumsy on land. They also build their nest quite close to the water's edge so that they don't have to spend much time on land. They are speedy fliers, but require extensive area of water for take-off. They must cover a fairly large distance at a splashing run before flying clear of the water. It carries its legs on its back to dry its feet, a behavior similar to mute swan. Their young spend more time on their parent's back than any other species of swan.
Breeding/Growth:
Diet: They eat aquatic vegetation mostly, but will eat insects and fish spawn.
