The Black Swan
The ugly duckling is a tale often told to children.
On how, a duckling was ugly, grew up, and it then turned out to be a case of mistaken identity and he wasn’t a duck at all, but a beautiful swan. From this story, we can safety summarise that black swans are the beauty queens of the bird kingdom. Long elegant necks, ember eyes, red beaks, and they move with grace and elegance slowly drifting through the water in duos.
Many people in New Zealand have a lot of misguided fear when it comes to swans. They either have PTSD from when they were children and they were mobbed by a group for that packet of 1 dollar bread, or they believe old fish tales, passed on from generation to generation that tell the tales that swans can break a human arm with their neck. I do not want to say this is a pile of horse shit, but old fish tales are normally fishy when it comes to their origins.
How did the swan get here? Well it was introduced by man in the late 19th century. Now populations are abundant in New Zealand, seen as a common occurrence on many New Zealand lakes, ponds, and estuaries. They also hang around pastures, which pisses a lot of irate farmers off.
For identification purposes, here is how you spot a swan. Look for a large black bird with a long curved neck. He or she will have red eyes and a red beck, with dark feet. They will normally be in the water, as they are quite ungainly on land. Reminiscent of a sumo wrestler. They can fly, but again, this is not their forte and they will seem a bit awkward up there. Their children are called cygnets. These will be grey and fluffy, and you will want to snuggle them. Try and resist, as mom and dad will hiss at you like an angry pair of cats.
Swans also are the Romeo and Juliet of the bird kingdom. Or perhaps the Elizabeth and the Darcy. They are romantic is what I am trying to get across. They mate for life. None of this sleeping around with a different bird every season nonsense, these birds know what they want. And that is each other. Mates will greet each other with dips of their necks and crooning honks. It makes quite the afternoons imply watching the lake come alive with pairs greeting each other, or alternatively chasing wandering swans away from their love kingdom. Swans are very territorial and will defend their home with vigour.
These birds are strictly on the vegetarian diet. Their diet is mostly algae, and weeds. You will often see them out in the water with their fluffy bums in the air and their heads underwater, reaching for that tasty green snack. A very dignified look.