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Why do black swans have such elaborately curled wing feathers?

By On May 13, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Black swans are the only member of the swan family to sport a ruffle of curled feathers on their wings.  These curled feathers occur in both males and females, and are prominently displayed during social interactions.  We found that these feathers play a role in both sexual and social contexts – swans endowed with more of these feathers are more likely to find a mate, and they also tend to win fights.  Males and females of similar display ‘status’ tend to pair up, creating a society with a hierarchy of ‘mutual admiration’. For more details, please consult the article below:

KRAAIJEVELD, K., GREGURKE, J., HALL, C., KOMDEUR, J. & MULDER, R.A. (2004). Mutual ornamentation, sexual selection, and social dominance in the black swan. Behavioral Ecology 15:380-389.

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jan-schrage Photo 186/365 - Swans in the City matt-biddulph monkeywing_0 ed-dunens13 ed-dunens16 ed-dunens19 ed-dunens20 ed-dunens3

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.