Black Swans - Did You Know?

Did you know? 

1. Black swans are native to Australia.
2. They weigh up to 9kg (19lbs). 
3. Their wingspan is between 1.6m (5ft) & 2m (6ft).
4. Black swans live up to 40 years.
5. They fly 18 mph (28 kph), reaching speeds of 50 mph (80 kph), needing at least 40m of unobstructed waterways for take-off & landing. 
6. Their divorce rate is 6%.
7. Since the 1st century CE, “black swan” and “rare bird” became common phrases in several European languages, describing something that defied belief, as Europeans assumed, based on their observations, all swans were white.
8. The first recorded European sighting of black swans is probably 1636, by Dutch mariner Antonie Caen. 
9. Black swans were introduced as an exotic ornamental species in Japan, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
10. Black swans never established large populations in the wild after being brought to Europe, possibly because black animals were considered bad omens, in league with witches & devils, thus they were often driven away or killed.
11. The Aboriginal Noongar people in Western Australia have ancestral stories about white swans, which had most of their feathers torn out by eagles for being proud & boastful of its beauty. Crows released a cascade of feathers, turning the swans black, except for their white wing tips. Their red beak still shows blood from the attack.
12. In Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Swan Lake, traditionally, the white & black swans, named Odette & Odile, are performed by the same ballerina, which suggests the world is not simple, things can be black or white, or both at once.