The Story
On March 28, 2018, I photographed this Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) at the Zhangye National Wetland Park in Zhangye, Gansu, China. The black swan breeds mainly in southeast and southwest Australia. It is a large waterbird with black plumage and a red bill. It was introduced to other countries as an ornamental bird in the 1800s and is a popular bird in parks and collections. IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. The park partly overlaps the Zhangye Heihe Wetland National Nature Reserve, which covers 41,164 hectares and was listed as a Wetland of International Importance in 2015.
I used a Pentax K-1 and the HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW for this one, at 1/800 sec, f/8, ISO 200. Wetlands like this one are a stopover for migrating birds in the dry Hexi Corridor, and their protection depends on keeping water in the Heihe.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) belongs to the family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List