A feathered friend from “down under” recently took up residence on the University lakes.
The tropical bird, which has made its home in the scenic campus waters, is an Australian Black Swan, native to Australia and Tanzania. The Australian Black Swan was chosen as Western Australia’s official bird emblem in 1973, according to the state government’s Web site, www.wa.gov.au.
With jet black feathers, a fluorescent orange beak and eyes, gray legs and webbed feet, the swan looks strikingly different from the more common white swans found near the lakes.
Theresia Lavergne, an assistant poultry professor, said the black swan should comfortably fit in to the South Louisiana environment though it is far from its natural habitat.
In Australia and Tanzania, black swans inhabit lakes and marshes similar to those in Louisiana.
“It is very adaptable to our environment,” she said. “I think it can live here just fine.”
No one knew exactly how the black swan came to its newfound campus home.
Donna Dittmann, a collections manager at the University Museum of Natural Science, said she first saw the bird a few months ago.
The black swan did not fly here from the Southern Hemisphere, she said.
“It’s possible it could have been a free-flying bird that escaped from an aviary,” Dittmann said. “It could have been placed there by someone who lives near the lakes or by the Vet School.”
Employees in the Vet School Bird, Zoo, Exotic Animals Medicine and Surgery Department said they had not released a black swan on the University lakes.
According to the Tropical Birds of Paradise Web site, www.auburnweb.com, the birds need grass and reeds for food and to build their nests. These green plants are abundant around the lakes.
Tropical Birds of Paradise is a breeding facility that sells exotic birds.
Joggers and runners should be cautious if they approach the nests. The Web site said parents will “ferociously” defend their nests and young if they feel threatened.
Students, faculty and staff interested in purchasing their own Australian Black Swans may search the Tropical Birds of Paradise Web site, where a pair of the birds currently ranges in price from $600 to $1,350.