Black Swan Birds in Mysore Zoo, Karnataka India
“Ma, is that white swan painted black?” was what my eight year old asked me when she saw the Black Swan birds. She was staring at it with disbelief, in her world of imagination and dreams there were only white swans.
I had read about black swan species and seen their pictures, but never seen them live and so close. I too was watching it, stunned by its beauty. This was at Mysore Zoo in Karnataka.
Mysore Zoo Karnataka
This is why I am in favor of having zoos. People may cry citing it as cruelty on animals keeping them away from their natural environments but I think Visiting a zoo is a great way of learning about different and rare species.
Zoos are repositories of knowledge about different animals and birds, some endangered. Many like me can’t imagine a trip to exotic locations of Australia where these black swans flourish, simply because of budget constraints.
There are 1,466+ individual animals of 154 different species in Mysore Zoo. They include 51 mammals, 79 birds and 24 reptiles. It is an ideal weekend destination from Bangalore.
Can you ever imagine clicking the closeup of an elephant’s eye in the wild? If you are keen visit the Mysuru Zoo.
Are there black swan birds in India?
Unfortunately for India black swan birds do not flourish in India. The black swan species are bred in zoos of India. Mysore zoo got its first pair of black swan birds in 1984 from New Delhi. Since then these monogamous birds have bred successfully. Their number has increased to 20. Mysore zoo now exchanges them for other birds and animals with other zoos.
Black Swan Birds India
Black Swan, the Bird
Black Swans (Cygnus atratus) are large water birds breed mainly in the region of southeast and southwest regions of Australia. They are really huge measuring more than 1m in height much of it due to their long necks.
They mostly feed on algae and underwater weeds. These birds can get real aggressive if disturbed, so don’t leave children unattended close to them.
Most part of the wings and feathers all over the body of an adult Black swan is black. Its wing tips have a broad white patch that is visible in flight. Its bill is bright red, having a pale tip and bar. Such a beautiful bird, I gasped! Its feet and legs are grayish-black and neck is long (the longest neck amongst swans, relative to its size) and it is curved into an “S”-shape like the white swans.
Black Swan Habitat
Black swans are natives of Australia. These birds are commonly found in Australia’s south-eastern and south-western wetlands. Someday I have to visit Australia to see the birds roost in their natural habitat. Black swans are found in Tasmania too. They inhabit rivers, lakes, and swampland in water that is fresh, salt, or brackish that has aquatic vegetation. When food is scarce they can be found in terrestrial areas like flooded fields or dry pastures.
Black Swan, a Metaphor
My daughter’s query reminded of the metaphor ‘black swan’ (disambiguation). Black swan meaning is different. One of the Western misconceptions was ‘All swans are white’. So a black swan was a metaphor for something which could not exist.
A Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh recorded the sighting of the first black swan for the first time in 1697. The discovery of the black swan along Australia’s west coast in the late 17th and early 18th centuries led to the shattering of the age-old metaphor.
The Black Swan was an idea put forward by the Enlightenment philosopher, David Hume. It was meant to represent the unexpected, the stuff you don’t know or don’t know that you don’t know.
The famous Black Swan theory developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb labels the unexpected rare events in his book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. The book makes several useful points for entrepreneurs and investors that come from the existence of Black Swans.
What is a Black Swan?
Medieval Europeans had only ever seen white swans. In fact, any impossible event was termed a ‘black swan’. So, when the first settlers reached Australia, they were shocked to find black swans all over!
Taleb’s black swans are those events that were once thought impossible, but when they occur, hit hard. In this extract, he writes about how we create narratives after ‘black swan’ events; making them seem predictable after they occur.
Err… I deviated; my main aim was to present the beautiful black swan birds. Below is a picture of the White Swan coexisting peacefully with the Black Swans in the Mysore Zoo. We were cautioned not to get too close as black swans attack.
Black Swan Fun Facts
- A big group of Black swans on the ground is called a bank, but when in flight the group is called a wedge.
- The Black swan swims with only one leg, tucking up the other above its tail. This allows it to change direction of swimming and escape predators or move quickly to catch its food.
- Antounie Caen, a Dutch mariner, was the first European to see the incredible sight of Australian Black swans in 1636 in Shark Bay.
- Black swans feature a lot in Western Australia’s art and literature and its state flag has Black Swan swimming right to left on a yellow background.
Dalmatian Swans?
While exiting the zoo my daughter was curious – can there be Dalmatian swans? What she meant was black and white swans!
Black swans and mute swans do mate and have hybridised young ones which are often grey and white. BTW are you aware there are Dalmatian Pelicans?
Other Animals in Mysore Zoo
Do check – Elephant’s Eye clicked in Mysore Zoo and Late Polo, a Gorilla
(This post was first published on Sept 5, 2008.)
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Like Pouty I only just found this post after reading your Sunday Roast interview. The birds are beautiful, no doubt about it, but the post is also thought provoking on several levels.
I can see why you thought it a significant one!
I came by after reading your interview with David. Great blog and good advice for newbies like me.
So interesting and such wonderful creatures, expertly captured on camera!
Swans are such beautiful creatures. The black swan looks so majestic.
The black one is as graceful as the white. Nice shots Indrani.
I´ve seen couple of those black swans in a zoo. Unfortunately they had to go away with the bird-flu hysteria that was raging around Europe last year.
Beautiful photos and then you go writing about it through so many different angles..
Lovely as usual..
Gorgeous photos, Indrani and entertaining as always. Next thing I know you’ll be telling me that my pink elephants really exist! 😉
Whoa! I love that first shot – the contrast and coloring is pure perfection Indrani!
Wow, so interesting. Thank you for the lesson in swans. Beautiful photos!
Beautiful shots. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a black swan.
Beautiful photos, Indrani. I very much enjoyed your comments and the explanation of the term “black swan.” Very informative. Thanks.
Great photo! Thanks for sharing.
We have no black swans here. These are all so beautiful
Wow Black Swan what great photos.
Trust dear A to come up with that query!
May she never know the man-made differences between black and white, and all shades in between….
A most interesting deviation.
I first saw a Black Swan in Dawlish, Devon on an ornamental lake about 62 years ago.
Great post.
I’d never seen a black swan before, so thanks for that. Your post has it all…good pics, good information, and at the end, a good laugh!
Great post, I always like a story to accommpany photo’s.
Black swans are magnificent – I had to go to Canada to see mine!
What a beauty, i have seen a few black ones and they are always so stunning to me. Love the story as well
Nice.
It’s beautiful Swans. Honestly it’s the first I see this Black Swan. Very interesting!!
you have captured the swans in all their regal elegance! lovely! and the info provided is also very interesting indeed! thank you.
I love your photos all are clear and excellent! swans are sexy, lovely and beautiful especially the black color, very attractive…
ever sawa black most interesting sk
beautiful post!very nice
Oh my gosh – that is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
I like the black swans. Those beaks are so vivid against the black. Beautiful!!
Thank you for sharing the black swan photos. I have never seen one. They are beautiful. We only have white swans around here.
Your daughter’s thoughts on the black swan made me smile 🙂 Beautiful birds, and photos!
Hi I signed in for the second time and now I can reach my blog. I’d like to delete the first time I entered.
perfect capture! your swan photos are gorgeous and wonderful…
they are both so beautiful
They are such fantastically beautiful birds! We have only white ones in our area. Both are lovely.
Your shots are very beautiful. Swans are always beautiful. Your explanation of the fact that a black swan was an impossibility. When I was in New Zealand on holiday with my daughter and her three Australian children, they called me excitedly:”Oma, oma come have a look! There is a white swan”! They had never seen a white swan before.
Nice informative post with great pics. The angle from which the pic of the white swan has been taken is amazing.
Beautiful! I just took tons of pics of this beauties today in the Zoo:)Mine is HERE if you have a time! Thanks! Happy CC!
Loved your daughter’s question 🙂
The images too as just as delightful.
it is beautiful..the pics. i have never seen a black swam too or a real swan in real life. an interesting post indeed for me.
wonderful post..Its time I paid a visit to the Mysore zoo again..went there when i was 8 too ..still have pics of me there 🙂 by the way the nandi statues in the south according to my guide were at Le pakshi,Mahanandi, Halebeedu, Mysore and Thanjavur..though not necessarily in that order
I too haven’t seen a black swan live. Informative writeup.
Hi Indrani!
Beautiful post. It seems everybody is now around Taleb’s book; I’ve it on my table, but won’t take it into my vacation’s luggage… 😉
Actually, I’ll finally get some days off this year; not much, just from Friday night (September 5th) through Monday morning (September 15th). But I don’t leave you empty hands: a beautiful beach and lots of champagne wait for you at Blogtrotter. Enjoy! 😉
This Mysore Zoo seems to be holding a lot in it’s kitty.
Stunning pictures, Amazing facts blogged and got a good book referred for reading. Tku Tku.
how interesting. i like the comparison between black and white
There swans are very BEAUTIFUL !
The dark one is more “agressive” that the white one !
The swans are beautiful.