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Do male and female swans differ in their response to humans?

By On May 13, 2015 · Leave a Comment

In this study, we investigated how flight responses of black swans are related to their distance from safety (i.e. water). As predicted, swans further from water initiated a flight response earlier than those nearer water. Furthermore, females tended to respond earlier than males, and were more likely to take flight when approached from the water than from land or parallel to the shore. This suggests that they are sensitive to the degree of danger, and that males are bolder than females when confronted with danger.

GUAY, P-J., LORENZ, R.D.A., ROBINSON, R.W., SYMONDS, M.R.E. & WESTON, M.A., (2013). Distance from water, sex and approach direction influence flight distances among habituated swans. Ethology 119: 552-558. doi: 10.1111/eth.12094

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robin-robokow jan-schrage Photo 186/365 - Swans in the City matt-biddulph stephanie-carter ed-dunens11 ed-dunens17 ed-dunens8 p1130245

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.