Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba | ||||
The first three photos were taken at Torres del Paine, Chile while the other photos were taken at Taim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This bird is distributed in southern South America, throughout most of Argentina, Chile and into southern Brazil. There is some migration of the most southerly populations to southern Brazil during the austral winter. | ||||
This species appears to be somewhere intermediate between swans and geese but it may be more closely related to the whistling-ducks. It is about the same size as Black-necked Swan Cygnus melanocoryphus and is often found in small family groups in lakes and marshes. |
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It is all white except for a bright red bill and legs and black tips to the primaries which are visible in flight and occassionally at rest as in photo 3. It sometimes carries its young on its back in the manner of grebes but I think the youngster shown in photo 1 was probably too large for such fun at this stage. |
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There is an illustration in HBW, Volume 1, Page 574 |
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