Coscoroba Swan

     The Coscoroba Swan is the smallest Swan in the world, and it is endemic to the southern portion of South America. In fact, these birds got named after their loud, ringing ‘cos-cor-ooo’ when vocalizing.

     The Coscoroba swan has white plumage except for black tips to the outer six primary feathers that are clearly seen in flight. The bird has a red beak, legs and feet and looks somewhat more like Geese than Swans (it looks like a very small ‘Swan’ in body and looks like a ‘Goose’ in the head).

     The Coscoroba swan breeds in South America from southern Chile and central Argentina south to Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. In winter, it flies north to central Chile, northern Argentina, Uruguay and the southeast tip of Brazil. Coscoroba swans’ preferred habitat of living and breeding  is well-vegetated swamps and lagoons.

     The Coscoroba pen lays 3 – 9 eggs, and incubates them alone for almost 35 days. The cob stands guard and aggressively helps to protect the nest and fledglings against predators after hatching. Young Coscoroba cygnets can fledge as quickly as 60 – 75 days after hatching, but normally they fledge at 3 – 4 months old and reach sexual maturity after 3 years.