Fluffy chicks with the black swans September 9, 2019

The black swans have also recently been blessed with babies: on July 16, three nestlings hatched from their eggs. Of course, these five-week-olds look quite different from adults, not only are they smaller, but also light in colour and covered in fluffy feathers. Of course, the fact that it is difficult to recognize the shape of adults in little swans is nothing new; it suffices to remember Andersen's tale of the "Ugly Duckling". Our little swans have a much easier destiny, as their parents take care of them every minute of the day and protect them from all perceived or real danger. If someone dares to get closer than they ought to, they will threaten them with an angry hiss, and if someone goes in between them (which they cannot, of course, and is not recommended to anyone apart from the caregivers), they would be well pecked at.

Swans, as a rule, are relatively familiar animals, mainly because they are widely distributed in Hungary. On Lake Balaton, along the Danube, or even on the lake in the City Park. The three species native to our country, the mute swan, the whooper swan and the tundra swan, all wear white feathers, so it's not surprising that almost everyone knows them as white birds. Many have heard of black swans, but only because of Odilia's character in Tchaikovsky's famous ballet, Swan Lake, and the 2010 American film hit. However, there is indeed a swan species in Australia with a black plumage over its body. This species, the black swan (Cygnus atratus), can be seen by our zoo visitors in the pond next to the Australian House, sharing the tenancy with several other bird species. The black swan, by the way, is the emblem of the federal state of Western Australia, and even the state capital, Perth, is situated along the Swan River.