Black Swan, Taking a Walk, Victoria, Australia

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The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large and iconic Australian waterbird. They are native only to Australia and are found throughout the southern half of the continent. When mature, black swans measure between 110 and 142 centimetres (43 and 56 in) in length and weigh 3.7–9 kilograms (8.2–19.8 pounds). Their wing span is between 1.6 and 2 metres (5.2 and 6.6 feet).

Black swans have the longest neck relative to their body size of any swan. They are nomadic within Australia, with erratic migration patterns that depend on climatic conditions. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.

On one occasion we saw a black swan walk into a street in a small town. It stood directly on the road's center line and held its large wings outstreached perpendicular to the flow of traffic. It stopped cars in both directions, including ours, so its cygnets could cross. With white wingtip feathers on the underside of the wings it looked like a police officer directing traffic!