Black-necked
swan:
UK Status: None
resident, but can be seen in Zoo's and Wildlife Centres.
Habitat: These South
American birds like water and inhabit swaps, marshes lakes,
brackish lagoons and sheltered coastal sites. The wetland
sites created in Chile by the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, have
become an important habitat for this Swan. They are almost
entirely vegetarian, feeding mainly on aquatic plants.
Breeding: This bird
breeds from July to November in the Northern parts of South
America, in the southern parts the season ends in September.
In the Falkland Islands the breeding season is August to
November.
Comment: This South
American swan is present in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruaguy
and the Falkland Isles. They withdraw to the northern parts of
their territories for the winter months. Rare vagrants have
been recorded in Juan Ferdandez Island, the southern Orkney
islands, the southern Shetland Isles, and the Antarctic
Peninsular.