Black Swan vs Paradise Shelduck
Cygnus atratus compared with Tadorna variegata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Swan | Paradise Shelduck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cygnus atratus | Tadorna variegata |
| 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) | 70.2 cm (27.6 in) |
| Weight | 6200.0 g (218.70 oz) | 1569.5 g (55.36 oz) |
| Diet | Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … | -- |
| Clutch Size | 4-6 | 5-15 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Black Swan
Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.
Paradise Shelduck
Open farmland, grassland, lake shores, riverbeds, and wetlands throughout both main islands of New Zealand. Nests in caves, burrows, hollow trees, and dense vegetation. Highly territorial in the breeding season.
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.
Paradise Shelduck
Male gives a high-pitched whistle; female gives a loud, harsh cackling call 'rak-rak-rak'. New Zealand's only endemic shelduck; calls echoing in open farmland are distinctive.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black Swan
Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.
Paradise Shelduck
Conservation Status
Black Swan
Paradise Shelduck
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
Paradise Shelduck
Extreme dimorphism. Males have black head with green gloss and black-and-chestnut body. Females have pure white head and neck contrasting with rich chestnut-rufous body. Both show white wing patches. New …
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.
Paradise Shelduck
New Zealand's most colorful duck with strong sexual dimorphism: males have dark greenish-black body; females are strikingly white-headed with chestnut body. Endemic and common. Found across New Zealand's grasslands, farmland, and wetlands. A significant game species traditionally harvested by Māori.