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Ombry — Black Swan
Published: 2008-08-10 09:28:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 826; Favourites: 20; Downloads: 18
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Description
Cygnus atratusSize: 110-140 cm (43-55 in) ¹
Diet: Aquatic vegetation and grass.†
Habitat: Open water with aquatic vegetation, mudflats, crops and pasture. ¹
Notes: There is a good chance that the ' parents' in this photo are both male. It is quite common for two males to team up and either steal a nest with eggs or build their own nest and coax a female into laying eggs before chasing her away. Males are a little larger than females and have brighter beaks/eyes.
Location: Herdsman Lake, Gledalough, WA.
Similar Species: None.
Conservation Status: Migratory.
Videos: None
Other Photos: Peaceful Not so Peaceful Nesting Young Black Swan .
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Comments: 10
This is a wonderful capture and I was very interested in the comments you made too. I was unaware that they did that.
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Thanks.
I was a bit puzzled when I saw them because I couldn't figure out which parent was female. I took lots of photos and decided to figure it out later, but even then I couldn't find the differences that the bird book said should be there. So I hit the internet and finally found out that they were probably both male. XD
Apparently about one in five swan couples are same-sex pairs.
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How can you tell the difference in the sexes of the swans.
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The male is a bit bigger and his beak and eyes are brighter red.
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Thank you for that information. It doesn't sound easy to tell them apart.
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Really? I knew that swans weren't the only ones to do it but I've never heard of penguins forming gay couples. Cool.
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Technically speaking most mammals and birds do show homosexual behaviours; seagulls, for instance, form lesbian couples, and in some colonies there are only female/female couples; they only mate with males in order to lay eggs. Lions, dolphins and many other mammals are bisexual in nature; they form male/male couples, and while they go after females they still mate with eachother. In fact, some male mammals have funny behaviours; botos, for instance, use their blowholes (having in consideration they are pratically being fucked by their single nostril, thats an amazing ability for a mammal).
I honestly don't know why there are so many idiots who still hate homosexuality; even with all evidence like this they change their arguments and claim that animals are inferior. If I could I would strangle those bigots to death!
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Thanks.
The cygnets were so fluffy and tiny, I wouldn't be surprised if this was their first time out of the nest.
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