Recently, on the turquoise fast green lake of Pearl River Park, two pairs of elegant and precious black swans appeared, adding a vivid and spirited color to the Guangzhou Tianhe CBD oasis, attracting many citizens to stop and admire and take photos.
The "net red" black swan attracted the public to watch
Native to Australia, the black swan is an important member of the swan family and is a world-famous ornamental bird. Bright red beak, slender neck, satin-like black gray feathers, its manners are dignified and beautiful. Black swans belong to the swans with a slender neck, especially the male birds, so they are more elegant and beautiful.
In addition, black swans are gentle in temperament and are closer to people than white warty swans. The reporter saw at the scene that some citizens waved and shouted to the black swans, they seemed to feel the enthusiasm of the people, lined up, gracefully floated on the lake, drew out the ripples of the road, and slowly swam from the shade, causing the citizens to exclaim one after another: "They are obedient!" ”
The black swans of Pearl River Park.
Zhujiang Park is located in the heart of Zhujiang New Town, surrounded by high-rise buildings, black swans settled here, adding a vivid and spirited color to the oasis in the CBD, attracting many citizens to stop and admire and take photos. "I often come to the park for a walk, I have never seen a black swan before, I did not expect to see such a beautiful animal in our Tianhe CBD," the nearby citizens excitedly told reporters.
The scorching afternoon sun did not dampen the enthusiasm of the photographers, who crouched by the lake with "long guns and short cannons" and waited for the black swans to swim out of the stream shaded by trees. After a while, four black swans stretched their necks and flapped their wings, like experienced catwalk models, slowly swimming out from behind the "curtain". The "click" of the shutter button came and went, and the photographers held their breath and concentrated on capturing the graceful gestures of the black swan with their lenses. "I saw the news of the black swans settling in Pearl River Park on the public account, and I came to take pictures as soon as possible, they are really beautiful," said a bird photographer at the scene.
Build a "villa" to help black swans integrate into the park ecology
Following the concept of ecological civilization of respecting nature, conforming to nature and protecting nature, in recent years, Pearl River Park has continuously strengthened the construction of ecological civilization, the ecological environment of the park has been greatly improved, biological plants have been diversified, the park has gradually formed an orderly ecological chain, and the suitable environment has attracted many birds to roost and forage, and at the same time, it will also lay a good environmental foundation for the recuperation of black swans.
In order to allow the black swans to adapt to the new environment as soon as possible, Pearl River Park also specially built a "wooden villa" for the two young couples to facilitate the habitat and breeding of the swans. In order to avoid unnecessary disturbances, the park has strengthened the construction of wetland seine nets, daily feeding is carried out by rowing boat, and the publicity of civilized viewing and the education and management of internal staff are strengthened to ensure the safety of black swans. The relevant person in charge of Pearl River Park also reminded all citizens and friends to watch black swans in a civilized manner, do not feed food and close contact, and cherish the hard-won natural ecological environment.
Hu Huijian, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology of the Guangdong Academy of Sciences, reminded that from an ecological point of view, black swans belong to exotic species and have strong fecundity, and excessive introduction may have the risk of species invasion. In addition, swans have a certain degree of aggression during breeding, and they need to do a good job of protection, and they can enjoy the black swans from a distance, do not touch or touch.
Many parks in Guangzhou have black swans
Before the black swan settled in The Pearl River Park, there were many parks in Guangzhou that saw the figure of black swans, some of which were artificially introduced, and some of which were "uninvited". In March last year, Tianhe Park staff found a black swan flying into the park and inhabiting Tianhe Lake in the park. However, after a short stay to nurse a minor injury on his foot, the black swan left. On July 1, with the support of the Guangzhou Wildlife Conservation Office, four black swans settled in Liuhua Lake Park, which is known as the "little bird paradise" of The Heron Island Scenic Area. In the same month, Yuexiu Park also "grandly" welcomed 4 elegant black swans and 4 beautiful geese, attracting many tourists to stop and admire and take photos.
Yuexiu Park introduced black swans and wild geese.
As Guangzhou continues to carry out the construction of ecological civilization and promote projects such as lake water treatment, lake shore improvement, and rain and sewage diversion, the sky blue and green water purification have become the norm, and the picture of harmonious coexistence between man and nature can be seen everywhere. When the sun sets, two or three egrets pacing on the surface of the river opposite Haixinsha Island are pacing on the mudflats from time to time; under the bridge leading to the island, the night herons with their heads curled up are waiting for night to fall, ready to start a new day of activities; in Tianhe Park, squirrels, weasels, woodpeckers, etc. on the trees are infested from time to time, and in a small wetland next to the artificial lake, grass turtles are enjoying the afternoon sun, and a few frogs are heard from time to time in the grass, becoming a paradise for wild animals.
Cold knowledge
Black Swan practices "monogamy"
Black swans are animals that are particularly loyal to love, practicing "monogamy" and usually accompanying them for life. According to professional black swan breeders, male black swans have large heads, slightly longer bodies, shorter necks, and upturned tail feathers. Females have slender necks, slightly rounded bodies, and droopy tail feathers.
In addition to being loyal to their partners, there is a clear division of labor between male and female black swans. They can breed all year round, but mainly in February and March, and both male and female nest together, but the division of labor is different. The male is responsible for collecting and transporting the nest material, and the female is responsible for building and arranging. The female goose is very cautious and vigilant, and once unsafe factors or human interference are found in the nesting process, they immediately abandon the nest and choose a new site. Black swans begin to hatch after the eggs are laid, and generally males and females take turns to hatch, but the female birds are the main birds, and there is no obvious regular rotation between males and females. When one hatches, the other acts as a guard.
Why are the swans in the park all black?
According to reports, there are 6 species of swans distributed around the world, namely giant swans, small swans (small swans and giant swans are not the same species), warty swans, black-necked swans, black swans and black-billed swans.
There are no white swans in the park, which is indeed related to color. The white swans that can be seen in China mainly include warty swans, small swans and giant swans, which are all national second-level protected animals and cannot be raised at will without permission.
The black swan is native to Oceania, the species distribution range is wide, the population trend is stable, does not belong to the national key protection of the wildlife list protection range, park scenic spots can be raised.
Written by: Nandu reporter Xia Jiawen Intern Wang Peilin
Photo: Nandu reporter Zou Wei