Fun Coscoroba Swan Facts For Kids

The coscoroba swan is a beautiful swan species that belong to the order Anseriformes, family Anatidae, and the genus Coscoroba. It's a large-sized bird that has white feathers all over its body. Its bill resembles that of ducks and the bill, legs, and feet of this swan are bright pink, or orange in color. It can be seen inhabiting freshwater bodies, lagoons, lakes, and swamps in southern regions of South America. It can be found in the most southern corner of South America, from Tierra del Fuego (present at the southern corner of South America) north to the Chiloé Province in the southern Chilean area of Los Lagos towards central Chile (Santiago) as well as northern Argentina. The population in southern regions migrates towards the north for the winter season in northern Argentina, central Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, as well as southern Brazil (the Rio Grande do Sul). Some of its population can be seen in central Brazil as well.

This bird's diet comprises foods of various varieties. It feeds upon aquatic insects, aquatic invertebrates, small fish, and fish spawn, as well as crustaceans. Keep reading to get to know more about this beautiful swan and discover captivating facts about its habitat, appearance, breeding, and more!

If you enjoyed reading our coscoroba swan interesting facts, you must check out our vulturine guineafowl facts and trumpeter swan fun facts too!
 

What type of animal is a coscoroba swan?

The coscoroba swan is the smallest swan that belongs to the order Anseriformes, family Anatidae, and the genus Coscoroba. It's believed to be an intermediate between a true goose and a swan, and can also be placed between whistling ducks and swans. Chicks of coscoroba swans resemble young whistling ducks!

What class of animal does a coscoroba swan belong to?

These coscoroba swans belong to the Aves class, order Anseriformes, family Anatidae, and the genus Coscoroba.

How many coscoroba swans are there in the world?

There are approximately 10,000-25,000 individuals of this species, out of which 6700-17,000 are adults. The population of these swans has increased significantly on the Falkland Islands (Malvinas Islands).

Where does a coscoroba swan live?

Coscoroba swans can be found inhabiting freshwater bodies, lagoons, lakes, and swamps in the southern regions of South America. They can be found in the most southern corner of South America, from Tierra del Fuego (present at the southern corner of South America) north to the Chiloé Province in the southern Chilean area of Los Lagos towards central Chile (Santiago) as well as northern Argentina. The population in southern regions migrates towards the north for the winter season in northern Argentina, central Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil (the Rio Grande do Sul). The populations in northern Uruguay and central Chile are non-migratory and these birds are endemic to South America.

What is a coscoroba swan's habitat?

Coscoroba swans are typically seen in wetlands like lakes, swamps, canals, lagoons, ponds, and freshwater marshes that have vegetated shores where these birds can take shelter. Coscoroba swans are typically seen at low elevations.

Who do coscoroba swans live with?

Coscoroba swans either nest in small colonies that are well spread, or they nest alone in the breeding season. They have been observed to accumulate in large flocks during their flightless time for their own protection in the breeding season. When it's not their breeding season, coscoroba swans have been observed to be quite social and can be spotted in flocks of their own species as well as among other waterfowl.

How long does a coscoroba swan live?

The coscoroba swan can live up to only seven years in the wild. However, in captivity, it can live up to 36 years with an average life expectancy of 20 years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of coscoroba swans is between October and December during the spring and summer seasons. Coscoroba swans breed with one mate for their entire lives. Males are known to attract females by certain courtship displays, like making loud calls and biting a female's neck. The female lays four to seven eggs that are creamy-white in color. She might also lay nine eggs. Only the female incubates these eggs for 28-35 days. The male does not feed his female mate, so the female has to leave the nest two times a day for food. The hatchlings are either brown or silver-gray entirely, except for some black coloration on their head and their back possessing three dark gray bands. They have a gray-colored bill that has a pink edge and they have pale pink legs with a tinge of gray. They resemble young whistling ducks and as chicks, they remain close to their mother but can go out to search for food.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these swans is Least Concern as per the IUCN's Red List. The young of these swans are flightless and are preyed upon by small predators. A significant threat to their existence is the loss of their habitat. They also are at risk of injury or death from accidents.

What do coscoroba swans look like?

Coscoroba adult females and males look almost similar to each other with a few differences. The eyes of the female are darker than that of the male. Males also have a wider and longer wingspan as compared to females. The plumage of this beautiful swan is white entirely except for the black-colored tips of each wing, which can be clearly seen when this bird is in flight. Some black feathers can be present at the tail's end too. The bill, legs, and feet of this swan are bright pink or orange in color. The color of the eyes can be orange or reddish-brown, to yellowish. It has short, pointed, and strong wings and it has wing muscles that are well-developed. The coscoroba swan does not possess the basal knob, which is present above the upper bill in many other swan species. The bill of this species is small and resembles that of a duck. Other species of swans have bare skin that extends from the bill towards the eyes, but this section is coated with feathers in the coscoroba swan species. The cygnet's plumage is duller when compared to that of the adult.

How cute are they?

Coscoroba swans are quite cute. Their shining white plumage and pink legs and feet make these birds look extremely cute!

How do they communicate?

The call of the coscoroba swan is quite trumpet-like and loud. It sounds like 'cos-cor-oo' with the first syllable being longer and of higher pitch. Males and females make calls that are low-pitched while taking care of their young. The calls of these birds resemble calls of geese.

How big is a coscoroba swan?

The beautiful coscoroba swan is the smallest species of swan. A little smaller in size than black-necked swans, male swans of this species have a wingspan larger than females which are about 18.9 in (48 cm). Female swans have a wingspan ranging between 17-18 in (43-46 cm). The wings of the coscoroba swan are wider and shorter than all other swans. The coscoroba swan has longer legs, a shorter neck, and a smaller body as compared to other species of swan.

How fast can a coscoroba swan fly?

The coscoroba swan is able to fly quite well due to its large-sized wings. The primaries' black tips are visible during flight. This swan doesn't glide or soar, but it does perform a lot of wing-flapping. A group of these birds in flight is known as a 'wedge' or a 'bevy'. There is no specific name for a nest of swans altogether.

How much does a coscoroba swan weigh?

The weight of a male can range between 8.4-11.9 lb (3.8-5.4 kg), whereas the weight of a female can range between 7-10 lb (3.2-4.5 kg). The average weight of coscoroba swans is 10 lb (4.6 kg).

What are their male and female names of the species?

A male swan of this species is referred to as a 'cob', whereas a female swan of this species is referred to as a 'pen'.

What would you call a baby coscoroba swan?

Young coscoroba swans can be referred to as 'cygnets'.

What do they eat?

The diet of the coscoroba swan mainly comprises grasses and plant matter (such as tubers, stems, roots, buds, seeds, roots, and leaves), aquatic plants, algae, small fish, and small aquatic invertebrates (including small crustaceans, molluscs, insects, and mussels). To pull aquatic plants out, they insert their head and neck under the surface of the water. They also feed upon young plants and birds of this species that are kept in captivity are fed waterfowl pellets and romaine lettuce. Cygnets are preyed upon by birds of prey and small mammals, as well as gulls specifically.

Are they dangerous?

No, this species of swans is not dangerous. However, pairs of swans of this species can be quite territorial.

Would they make a good pet?

This species is kept in captivity and its price starts from $6,750.00. They're pinioned so that they do not fly away from their new home. They can be cute pets but their loud calls can be disturbing.

Did you know...

The coscoroba swan has many common names in different languages! This bird is called coscoroba blanc in French, cigno coscoroba in Italian, and cisne coscoroba in Spanish!

A swan can mate with a goose and their offspring is referred to as a swoose!

What is the smallest swan in the world?

The coscoroba swan is the smallest swan in the world!

How many swan species are there?

There exist only seven species of swans in the whole world, namely, the tundra swan, the mute swan, the black swan, the trumpeter swan, the whooper swan, the black-necked swan, and Bewick's swan.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our owl facts for kids and pigeon surprising facts pages!

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable coscoroba swan coloring pages!