Mandatory Credit: Photo by Bournemouth News / Rex Features (1738294d)
The black swan (Cygnus atratus) amongst the white mute swans (Cygnus olor)
Black swan sets up home with 600 white swans at Abbotsbury Swannery, Dorset, Britain – 01 Jun 2012
*Full story: http://www.rexfeatures.com/nanolink/gu31
This new arrival to the 900-year-old Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset is standing out from the crowd. The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) normally resides on the other side of the world in Australia and its arrival at the British swannery is a mystery. Meanwhile, the resident 600 white Mute swans that normally inhabit the lagoon are not sure what to make of the jet black impostor. Cygnus atratus are not indigenous to the UK, but over the last 20 years they have been imported here and kept in private herds. As such, it is thought that this black swan has escaped from a local collection rather than flown the 12,500 miles from the antipodes. However, if the newcomer is hoping to make friends with the native swans then it is going the wrong way about it as it is aggressive and dominant by nature.
