polairoid-banner-blue.jpg

Are neck collars safe to use for tagging black swans?

By On May 13, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Neck collars are commonly used to identify geese and swans in the northern hemisphere, but possible adverse effects have been investigated in only a few species.  Before commencing a large-scale tagging program, we wanted to reassure ourselves that they did not have adverse effects on the birds that wear them.  To examine possible effects, we compared the behaviour and condition of a sample of collared swans with that of a group of uncollared swans.  We found no differences in the amount of time the birds spent foraging, resting or swimming, and both sets of birds had similar weights.  These findings suggest that For more details, please consult the article below:

GUAY, P-J. & MULDER, R.A. (2009). Do neck collars affect behaviour and condition of black swans (Cygnus atratus)? Emu 109: 248-251.

Posted in: Publications

 
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Reddit Facebook Twitter Delicious

Comments are closed.

Gallery

marj-kibby2 robin-robokow charles-van-den-broek lorraine-phelan luca-montanari ed-dunens12 ed-dunens16 p1130464 sunset-swans1

Did you know?

An adult male swan is called a cob (from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group). An adult female swan is called a pen, and baby swans are called cygnets (from the Latin word cygnus ("swan") and the Old French suffix -et ("little").
2015-05-11T02:20:03+00:00
An adult male swan is called a cob (from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group). An adult female swan is called a pen, and baby swans are called cygnets (from the Latin word cygnus ("swan") and the Old French suffix -et ("little").

The Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
2015-05-11T02:23:39+00:00
The Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

A colony of Black Swans in Dawlish, Devon has become so well associated with the town that the bird has been the town's emblem for
2015-05-11T02:23:29+00:00
A colony of Black Swans in Dawlish, Devon has become so well associated with the town that the bird has been the town's emblem for

The current global population of black swans is estimated to be up to 500,000 individuals.
2015-05-11T02:23:19+00:00
The current global population of black swans is estimated to be up to 500,000 individuals.

Black swans occur over large parts of Australia, with estimates of their range varying from 1 to 10 million square kilometers.
2015-05-11T02:23:10+00:00
Black swans occur over large parts of Australia, with estimates of their range varying from 1 to 10 million square kilometers.