4 Black-Necked Swan Babies Born at Guangzhou Animal Garden
News from the Guangzhou Information Times (reporter Huang Xideng) – A new family has been born at the Guangzhou Animal Garden, this time the new parents are the black-necked swan couple. Reporters from the Guangzhou Animal Garden learned that recently, a pair of black-necked swan couples in the garden successfully hatched 4 babies. Now the babies can swim across the whole lake.
According to reports, 4 black-necked swan babies were born from March 23rd to March 24th. Interestingly, on March 22nd, the Guangzhou Animal Garden's Animal i Classroom livestreamed the black-necked swan couple's incubation video via 'Cloud Birdwatching', and just one day later, on March 23rd, the keepers discovered 3 black-necked swan babies hatching from their shells.
It's fun that as soon as they were born, the swan babies immediately went swimming with their father leading the way, while their mother continued to incubate in the nest, and there were still 2 babies that hadn't hatched yet! On March 24th, one of the eggs was finally pecked open by the swan baby, and 3 swan babies became 4. The swan father took the 4 little guys to play, while the mother continued to incubate the last egg.
On March 29th, the keepers discovered the swan couple together went into the water with the babies, and the swan babies were still only 4, and the last egg still lay quietly in the nest. The keepers judged that the last egg was likely an unfertilized egg. The keepers said that the swan that couldn't hatch was a non-viable egg. The animal garden staff didn't 'release' this egg either—they made the egg into a specimen.
It is reported that there are 6 species of swans in the world, namely the Greater Swan, the Little Swan (Greater and Lesser Swans are not the same species), the Trumpeter Swan, the Black-necked Swan, the Black Swan, and the Black-billed Swan. There are 3 species that naturally exist in our country: the Greater Swan, the Little Swan, and the Trumpeter Swan. Besides the Black-necked Swan, there are also Black Swans, White Swans, White Little Swans, and Trumpeter Swans living in the Guangzhou Animal Garden. Among them, the Black-necked Swans prefer to carry their babies while swimming more than other species.
Isn't your heart moved? Thinking about the adorable black-necked swan babies at the Guangzhou Animal Garden? Then come to Xianhe Lake, where you can see their family swimming across the lake.
Finally, let's review the timeline of the black-necked swan baby's birth:
①: The keeper saw the black-necked swan couple building a nest in January.
②: On February 10th, the keeper saw the swan mother lay 5 eggs to incubate.
③: On March 23rd, the keeper discovered 3 black-necked swan babies hatching from their shells, incubating for 43 days, and as soon as they were born, the father took the babies for a swim, and the mother continued to incubate in the nest.
④: On March 24th, 1 baby hatched, the father continued to take the 4 little guys for a swim, and the mother continued to incubate the last egg.
⑤: On March 29th, the keepers discovered the swan couple together went into the water with the babies, giving up the last egg, judging that it was likely an unfertilized egg.
Black-necked Swan Knowledge Card
The Black-necked Swan is the largest water bird in South America, but it is also the smallest swan. They are easily recognizable, with white bodies and long black necks, with a red wart at the base of the beak. The black-necked swan father often carries his little babies on his back, providing warmth and protection. Of course, the black-necked swan mother also does the same job, and they jointly raise their little offspring for a year. In addition, the fathers of other swan species also have a similar habit.
When taking the babies, the black-necked swan father is very irritable and fiercely defends the safety of his baby.
