Cygnus melancoryphus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus) is a species of waterfowl in the tribe Cygnini of the subfamily Anserinae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands. The black-necked swan has occasionally been placed by itself in the genus Sthenelides. Its closest relatives are the black swan (C. atratus) and mute swan (C. olor). It is monotypic.
The black-necked swan is the only member of its genus that breeds in the neotropics and is the largest waterfowl native to South America. Adults are 102 to 124 cm (40 to 49 in) in length. Its wingspan in winter averages 160 cm (5.2 ft), less at 136 cm (4.46 ft) in spring, due to loss of some primary feathers while moulting. Males weigh 4.6 to 8.7 kg (10 to 19 lb) and females 3.5 to 4.4 kg (7.7 to 9.7 lb). The black-necked swan is the lightest true swan on average. The sexes are alike. Adults' body plumage is white and the neck and head black; the latter usually has a white stripe behind the eye. They have a prominent red knob at the base of their bill. Juveniles are grayish rather than white and lack the knob until their third or fourth year.
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 2 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Falkland Islands | 🇫🇰 Falkland Islands | |
| 4 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-necked Swan sighting in Falkland Islands on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 79 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-necked Swan in Falkland Islands on a given day, against under 5% in January–April, June–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-necked 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.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Black-necked Swan sightings, Falkland Islands ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 20%) and Tierra del Fuego National Park (Argentina, about 20%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Black-necked Swan that you can see in Falkland Islands (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Upland Goose (about 90%), Falkland Steamer-Duck (about 80%) and Kelp Goose (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-necked Swan is recorded against all the birds logged in Falkland Islands (66 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.
