Cygnus atratus
Silhouette: An Ignorant Atheist · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent on climatic conditions. It is a large bird with black plumage and a red bill. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.
Black swans can be found singly, or in loose companies numbering into the hundreds or even thousands. It is a popular bird in zoological gardens and bird collections, and escapees are sometimes seen outside their natural range. The black swan was introduced to various countries as an ornamental bird in the 1800s, but has managed to escape and form stable populations.
This bird is a regional symbol of both Western Australia, where it is native, and the English town of Dawlish, where it is an introduced species. Described scientifically by English naturalist John Latham in 1790 as Anas atrata, the black swan was later placed into the genus Chenopis. In 1997, the species was placed in the genus Cygnus, in the subgenus Chenopis. The species is monotypic. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 2 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 9 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 13 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 18 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 19 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 20 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Swan sighting in Booderee National Park on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 128 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black Swan in Booderee National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month. That is one of Booderee National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 150 mm in March.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Swan sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 20
Of the 20 parks where we can rate Black Swan sightings, Booderee National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Gauja National Park (Latvia, about 40%), Wilsons Promontory National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Black Swan that you can see in Booderee National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Australian Wood Duck (about 20%), Chestnut Teal (about 20%) and Pacific Black Duck (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Swan is recorded against all the birds logged in Booderee National Park (85 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
