Black Swan vs Barnacle Goose
Cygnus atratus compared with Branta leucopsis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Swan | Barnacle Goose |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cygnus atratus | Branta leucopsis |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 130.0 cm (51.2 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 190.0 cm (74.8 in) | 76.4 cm (30.1 in) |
| Weight | 6200.0 g (218.70 oz) | 1685.0 g (59.44 oz) |
| Diet | Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … | Large white swan grazing aquatic plants and grasses; upends for submerged vegetation; supplements diet with … |
| Clutch Size | 4-6 | 2-9 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Black Swan
Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.
Barnacle Goose
Breeds on inaccessible Arctic cliff ledges in Greenland, Svalbard, and Novaya Zemlya. Winters on coastal saltmarshes, pastures, and estuaries in northwestern Europe, particularly Scotland and Ireland.
Song & Call Comparison
Black Swan
Gives a musical bugling 'boo-boo-boo' in flight and softer honking on water. Less vocal than Mute Swan; produces a baying call when alarmed. Wings whistle softly in flight.
Barnacle Goose
A rapid, high-pitched barking 'uk-uk-uk' given rapidly in flocks. Higher-pitched and more rapid than Canada Goose. Migrating flocks create a constant excited barking chorus.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black Swan
Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.
Barnacle Goose
Breeds in Arctic tundra of Alaska and Canada; winters on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States and northern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Black Swan
Barnacle Goose
How to Tell Them Apart
Black Swan
Almost entirely black with white flight feathers visible in flight. Red bill with a white band near the tip. Dark red to reddish-brown iris.
Bright red bill with a pale tip and prominent white band
Barnacle Goose
Striking black, white and gray pattern. White face and forehead; black crown, neck, and upper breast. Gray back with black and white barring. White underparts. Black tail. Sexes similar; elegant …
About These Birds
Black Swan
The black swan was once considered impossible by Europeans who believed all swans were white, making it a famous philosophical example of inductive reasoning failure. It is the state emblem of Western Australia. Black swans form lifelong pair bonds and both parents share in incubation and care of cygnets.
Barnacle Goose
A medium-sized cleanly patterned goose with a white face, black crown, neck, and breast, grey barred back, and white belly. Breeds in the high Arctic; winters in northwestern Europe. Famous in medieval times as the subject of the legend that it hatched from barnacles.