Mute swan - Cygnus olor
Photographed on harts Creek, Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury New Zealand.
Introduced to New Zealand from Britain from 1866 as an ornamental bird and still mostly found in established city ponds and managed lakes. A few escapees survive as feral birds in the wild in various wetlands especially in Hawkes Bay, North Canterbury and Lake Ellesmere (near Christchurch). Around 100 birds were estimated to be in the wild in the 1990s. They are a protected introduced species and the group “Ducks Unlimited” have a captive breeding programme aimed at increasing the number of wild birds. Interestingly New Zealand used to have its own native swan, but it (like the Australian swan) was black. It is now extinct but large numbers of the Australian black swan are now naturalized in the country with some debate as to whether they should be considered introduced birds (as some were established through human action) or native, as other populations appear to be as result of natural spread from Australia.
Mute swan - Cygnus olor
Photographed on harts Creek, Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury New Zealand.
Introduced to New Zealand from Britain from 1866 as an ornamental bird and still mostly found in established city ponds and managed lakes. A few escapees survive as feral birds in the wild in various wetlands especially in Hawkes Bay, North Canterbury and Lake Ellesmere (near Christchurch). Around 100 birds were estimated to be in the wild in the 1990s. They are a protected introduced species and the group “Ducks Unlimited” have a captive breeding programme aimed at increasing the number of wild birds. Interestingly New Zealand used to have its own native swan, but it (like the Australian swan) was black. It is now extinct but large numbers of the Australian black swan are now naturalized in the country with some debate as to whether they should be considered introduced birds (as some were established through human action) or native, as other populations appear to be as result of natural spread from Australia.